School Daze
by IchiFell
Summary: Sent into hiding during a lull in the Winter War, how will Ichigo deal with a school full of hormonal Youkai – and let's not forget about the only other human in miles – Tsukune Aono. But behind the scenes Aizen plans come to fruition… Adopted from raindrops 28
1. Prolouge

**School Daze**

**Summary: **Sent into hiding during a lull in the Winter War, how will Ichigo deal with a school full of hormonal Youkai – and let's not forget about the only other human in miles – Tuskune Aono. But behind the scenes Aizen plans come to fruition…

**Pairings:** Tuskune/Ruby, Ichigo/Mizore/Rukia/Moka/Yukari/Kurumu, Kahlua/Miyabi, Ginrei/San, Aqua/(surprise), probably more that I've forgotten or will be implied

**Warnings: **AU, probably implied of referenced slash or yoai, nothing major though, and easily ignorable, if you could handle Fang Fang, you have nothing to worry about, a boy having relations with multiple women – a harem(if you don't like reading about harems why are you reading Rosario Vampire in the first place?)blood violence, cursing …do you really need to be warned about this stuff?

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, or Rosario VAmpire

"Normal Speech"

_"Thoughts"_

**"Zangetsu"**

**"Hollow Ichigo"**

**Chapter 0:The ridiculously long prologue**

Sitting in an annoyingly creepy looking bus on the way to his new school Ichigo tried to remember everything that had lead up to this event.

It'd started of course, with the disaster that was Ichigo's battle against Ulquiorra – Ichigo had barely been able to regain his sanity and cancel his Resureccion before his hollow had fired what would a been a fatal cero at the Cuatro Espada. Ichigo had momentarily prepared himself for a final clash of their swords before Aizen himself had arrived, injecting the dying Espada with a drug – apparently made by the Octava – that regenerated Ulquiorra's blasted away organs, saving his life.

Aizen had then turned to Ichigo, and to everyone's surprise, _Ichigo's __**father**_ arrived seemingly to Aizen's expectations, and nodding to Isshin said he had achieved his objective for this round, and that Ichigo and his friends were free to go.

Ichigo barely had time to grab a sobbing Nel and her fraccion before his friends were herded to a garganta, that once they exited they were all swiftly herded to Urahara Shoten by the equally surprised Gotei 13 who'd been fighting nothing more than Aizen's illusions.

Ichigo had learned then, that Rukia's opponent had apparently faked his death by using a body clone, though Byakuya's opponent had truly died. The Octava Espada had apparently managed to avoid death via Kurotsuchi by hiding another egg within Nemu (and if there was ever a technique Ichigo never wanted to be hit with…seriously he'd take a shot at Ryujin Jakka before submitting himself to that.)

Ichigo had barely any time to receive confirmation form Unohana that she had healed Grimmjow before the captains turned to him, and promptly interrogated him on why he'd been let go by Aizen. Ichigo didn't know any more than they did though, and the captains quickly refocused on Isshin, whom, from what Ichigo could gleam through the following argument, was a former captain that'd been promoted to the Royal Guard and had been presumed dead on a mission to the Living World twenty years ago.

Understandably, the fact that Isshin was alive, had children with a human woman and had thus apparently deserted had caused some alarm. Isshin hadn't talked very much, saying he'd explain thing in more detail later, but that for now he needed to take his son back home to rest – Ichigo had, after all just invaded Aizen's fortress. This promptly caused everyone to refocus on Ichigo (Ichigo was sure the shear dumbfounded shock he was feeling was showing on his face at this point), followed by many sudden looks of understanding, confusion and calculating looks shot his way. Ukitake-san, Ichigo noticed, looked particularly concerned, before Isshin had unceremoniously ushered Ichigo home.

Ichigo had, understandingly, been in a cross mood with his father for several days afterwards, and had only lessened his hostility after giving Karin her long-awaited explanation and watching her consequently tear into him. Afterwards Ichigo had calmed down enough that he decided to wait for his father to explain everything to him when the goat-face was ready to.

"Heh. That's a pretty mature thing to say, Ichigo"

"Shut up, it's something someone told me once, and it made me feel better, so I thought I'd give it a try."

"MASAKI OUR SON IS BECOMING A MAN!"

"DAMMIT CAN'T YOU BE MATURE FOR MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES GOAT FACE?!"

Ichigo had returned to his daily life after that, handing Nel and her 'brothers' over to the Vizards, and waiting for news from Soul Society on Aizen's next move, but when weeks passed with no new news, Ichigo, following a truly irritating and circular argument with his dad, got a part time job with a woman who reminded Ichigo frighteningly of Yourichi and Kukaku. Officially he was the shops bodyguard, but really he just ended up being Ikumi's errand boy

Trouble of course followed Ichigo everywhere, and barely three weeks had passed with his new job before a man in his early twenties with the sleaziest looking hair Ichigo had seen outside of the gangs that tried to ambush him after school stepped into the shop and asked for information on an Isshin Kurosaki.

Ikumi wasn't crazy enough to be unconcerned when someone come in looking for information on a man that held the same last name as her underage employee. She'd started talking with the man cautiously, but Ichigo was in the middle of a war - a war in which the enemy leader was unusually interested in Ichigo; and now some random guy with weird feeling reitasu was asking for information on Ichigo's newly revealed shinigami father.

Ichigo was taking no chances, and five minutes later Ichigo was in a back alley, holding the smiling stranger by his shirt and demanding he stop the bullshit and tell Ichigo what exactly he was after.

The man had smirked; made this strange movement with his hand, and a moment later Ichigo felt a twisting of rieatsu that signified the creation of a kido barrier. Then the man introduced himself as Kugo Ginjou, and told Ichigo everything.

That Ginjou had once been a Substitute Shinigami - the first in fact.

That the shinigami that'd given Ginjou his powers had deserted the Gotei 13 to marry a human woman he met on a mission. And that man had been killed by Aizen who then proceeded to frame Ginjou, now powerless, for the murder, leaving Ginjou slated to be executed.

That Ginjou had ran, killing several pursuing shinigami in the process.

That Ichigo, like Ginjou, was being monitored through his shinigami badge, as Ginjou had been.

That Ginjou had then discovered his own shinigami powers, and had discovered another, different power after meeting several children that had been attacked by hollows as children – the power of Fullbring.

That Ginjou too, could perform Fullbring.

That Inoue and Chad's powers were actually Fullbrings, and that Ichigo and the rest of his spiritually aware friends and family would be able to perform Fullbring as well.

That Ginjou could teach Ichigo Fullbring, that he'd be able to fight in his human body, be able to teach Fullbring to Tatsuki, who desperately wanted to fight, to his sisters who needed to learn how to defend themselves.

In the end, Ichigo overwhelmed, accepted, and was accepted into Xcution. At their headquarters he met six of the seven members: Riruka Dokugamire (who reminded him oddly of Rukia), Yukio Hans Vorarlberna (who seemed to be competing with Mizurio for the position of "poor little rich boy"), Jackie Tristan (Chad's long lost sister), Giriko Kutsuzawa (Tessai's long lost brother), and Moe Shishigawara (an overzealous Yakuza wannabe).

In the end, it took three weeks, two-ton kicks from Jackie, stuffed animal trauma from Riruka, concrete punches from Moe, puppet mastery from Yukio, much taunting from Ginjou, a violent but necessary heart to heart with his hollow (promptly named Shiro), the discovery that Zangetsu (and thus his hollow as well)took a different form in bankai, the subsequent introduction of Tensa Zangetsu and the shouldn't be but surprising truth that, (proven by the Fullbringers and statistics that suicides always became hollows), that the hollowfication process could start while humans were still alive, and that Ichigo's hollow had really started to form after the death of Ichigo's mother – they only became separate identities after Urahara's Shattered Shaft incident. Ichigo had, at first, refused to accept such a thing as the truth, but Zangetsu wasn't letting him exit his Inner World until he did and his hollow was a surprisingly good arguer:

("**You're a fucking moron, King! Don't you remember your fight with Shrieker? What you did to him after you heard what Karin learned? I'm your vengeance – your ability to torture and inflict pain on your enemies and feel joy from it! How you'd taunt the foolish that'd challenge you and Chad! But you haven't done anything like that since you stormed the Seireitei!"**

_"No one's pissed me off like that since Shrieker!"_

"**Fucking liar! You were more pissed at Byakuya than Shrieker!"**)

Several arguments later Ichigo had made peace with his hollow and completed his Fullbring (not everything had happened in that order though).

Ichigo's Fullbring took the form a cloak of black rieatsu that mimicked Tensa Zangestu's cloak, only covered in bone-like armor that covered his chest, a good portion of his legs, and several x-shaped bands around his wrists, hands, feet and neck. Wrapping up his Fullbring was an unusually small sword-dagger that Ichigo could fire weaker versions of Getusga Tensho from.

Not even a day passed after Ichigo returned home before he was confronted by an irate Rukia and annoyed Toshrio, both demanding to know where he'd been. Ginjou hadn't made the slightest suggestion to Ichigo that, despite his position, to hide such information – it'd be pretty hard to anyway, since the first time Ichigo entered his shinigami form since learning Fullbring Ichigo had spent a good five minutes freaking out over his and Zangestu's new appearances. Needless to say Toshiro had not taken the news well, and Ichigo had soon found himself under sword point.

"What the hell Toshiro?!"

"Kurosaki you moron! You just admitted to fraternizing with a declared enemy of Soul Society! What were you thinking?!"

The argument degenerated from there, but could be summed up with Toshrio arguing that Ichigo should've immediately informed Soul Society of Ginjou's appearance, Ichigo arguing that he had no way to immediately contact Soul Society except for Urahara, and that even if he did Ginjou had clearly taken the time to gather information on Ichigo's friends and family, and fuck, Ichigo was right where Ginjou wanted, in a place to figure out what he was after, and it wasn't like Ginjou had made anything even remotely close to a threat during the conversation.

"Don't talk like you actually _trust_ himKurosaki! Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in for following him? - For knowing that you're being monitored? He's an enemy of Soul Society – framed or not that doesn't excuse the crimes he's committed since then! You saw yourself he's gained allies! The Sou-Taicho going to interpret this as gathering an army – one Ginjou's trying to recruit you to!"

"He doesn't give a flying fuck about Soul Society now! And I've always known about the monitoring!"

"And how would you know about his plans Kurosaki? You just said you were only training during these weeks! You're making things worse for yourself by saying such incriminating things!"

Ichigo had spent the next several minutes explaining his ability to always feel the emotions of his opponents through their swords, and though he was able to feel Ginjou had no love of Soul Society, he certainly wasn't interested in revenge against them – or in killing Ichigo to steal his powers. Ichigo didn't know why Ginjou approached him, but he was able to discern that Ginjou had no interest in harming Ichigo, his friends or family.

Toshiro hadn't looked like he believed Ichigo at first, but as Ichigo's explanation on his ability to 'see' into the hearts of others, listening to his examples of previous fights and clearly comparing them to reports he must've heard, Toshiro looked like he'd been completely convinced in the truth of Ichigo's words. Sighing in resignation, Toshrio turned back to look at Ichigo.

"So you've always known about the monitoring?"

"Of course, I did. Ukitake-san's a lot smarter than I am, if he was really trying to hide it from me he would've chosen his words differently. Besides, when he gave it to me I'd just gotten finished breaking in to a military compound and thrashing two of their best in a fight. I'd be pretty disappointed in Soi Fon if she hadn't pushed through some sort of monitoring – hell I'd be disappointed that if after everything I did to you guys if you didn't end me enough of a threat to even passively monitor."

Rukia looked particularly happy and relieved after he said this, and even Toshiro's gaze softened a bit before he spoke up again.

"I'll tell Ukitake that you said that then. I'm pretty sure I can convince the others you haven't betrayed Soul Society's interest and were just scooping out a possible threat. I'm going to have to have you tell me everything you learned about these 'Fullbringers' abilities – and were you went too. In the meantime though I'll have to have stay where you can be easily found, Kuchiki over here will be guarding you, to show your cooperating don't leave her sight for now, alright?"

When everything was said and done, it only took Toshiro three days to come back with the news that Yamamoto had accepted Toshiro's reasoning and that Ichigo wouldn't be punished. Toshiro had also given Ichigo his own Soul Pager (directly connected to Toshiro's) so he'd finally have an easy way to contact Soul Society.

With the danger passed, Ichigo set about telling Tatsuki and Karin that they _were_ capable of developing their own powers, and that Ichigo could teach them how.

XXXXXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXXXXX 

Mikogami was smirking happily at the man seated across him. Kurosaki Isshin, as he expected had been agreeable to his deductions, especially those concerning the reappearance of Ginjou and inevitable upcoming events. To draw out the confrontation – or to speed it up if one looked at it another way, he needed someone special to draw Fairy Tale's attention.

Mikogami had already sycred for such an individual, but resting such hopes on a human had not gone well the last time he tried so he was looking for some…insurance, if you will. Luckily Mikogami had just come across the evidence he needed to convince Isshin agree to his little favor, and Mikogami couldn't be happier.

"So, then it is agreed that Kurosaki Ichigo will be transferring schools this year?" Mikogami couldn't help the widening of his perpetual grin; he loved when a plan came together.

Over his cup of tea, Isshin sighed. Ichigo was not going to be happy with him, but in the end, Mikogami (the bastard, Isshin was sure he was somehow related to Urahara, they always managed to convince him to go along with their plans) was right, if the information Mikogami gathered was right – as it usually was - then it would be better for Ichigo to be under the headmaster's care – and barrier with all that business with Aizen…

"I'll tell him tomorrow."

"Excellent, I'll have his papers ready by then."

XXXXXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXXXXX 

"ICHIGO, MY SON! I HAVE EXCELLENT NEWS! DADDY HAS NOTICED THE OPRESSIVE GLOOM THAT HAS SURROUNDED YOU SINCE MY DEAR THIRD DUAGHTER HAS LEFT AND HAVE COME UP WITH THE PERFECT SOLUTION! DADDY HAS TRANSFERRED YOU TO A NEW SCHOOL WHERE YOU SHALL FIND YOURSELF NEW FRIENDS AND A GIRLFREIND TO CLEAR AWAY YOUR DEPRESSION AND REGAIN YOUR MANLIENESS!"

"WHAT THE FUCK OLD MAN?!"

"DADDY DOES HAVE BAD NEWS THOUGH, SINCE YOU MISSED SO MUCH OF THIS SCHOOL YEAR YOU'LL BE ENTERING AS A FREASHMEN AGAIN!"

"YOU'RE DOING THAT ON PURPOSE AREN'T YOU? I'LL KILL YOU!"

XXXXXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXXXXX 

"Actually Kurosaki, I've discussed this with the other captains, and they agree this might be a good thing."

"What?! How could this be a good thing Toshiro?! We're in the middle of a war! I'll be who knows how far away – and after you guys lectured me about Aizen's zanpaktou!"

"Maa, maa calm down Kurosaki-kun, you'll break the table."

"The good thing is, Kurosaki" Toshrio continued as if Ichigo wasn't throwing a fit that was causing his rieatsu to flare widely, "is the school you've been transferred to. It's called Youkai Academy right?"

"Yeah, fucking weird name…what that's got to do with anything though?"

"Maa, don't you know Kurosaki-kun?" Urahara asked, waving his fan in a completely irritating manner, "Youkai actually exist. They supposedly exist to balance out the powerful shinigami and hollows in the afterlife so the Balance can be maintained and the afterlife won't encroach on the World of the Living. Their continued existence is so important to the maintenance of the Balance that they never enter Soul Society – as soon as they die their automatically reincarnated as Youkai again. It's speculated that Komamura –taicho was a youkai that somehow escaped the usual cycle of things – much like Blanks, but, of course he doesn't remember his life – human or otherwise, so it can't be confirmed.

"But going back to what Hitsugaya-taicho said, that school is enclosed by an incredibly powerful barrier that keeps the school hidden from normal humans, so youkai can learn human guises so they will be able to blend into the human world seamlessly and peacefully."

"Fascinating, how is this supposed to be good for _me_ though?" Surprised as he was at the revelation of the existence of youkai, Ichigo was more concerned why Toshiro and Geta-boushi seemed to think that sending him to a school filled with monsters was a good idea, did they want him to die?

"Kurosaki, we both know that Aizen is unusually interested in you, -we warned you after the first time you were attacked, and Aizen clearly hasn't let that interest wane. By going to Youkai academy you'll be encased inside that same barrier – it's strong enough to complelty hide you from Souls Societies sensors – and therefore Aizen's as well." Toshiro pointed out, in such a calm voice that made Ichigo feel like Toshiro was talking to a child.

"If your hidden beyond Aizen's ability to find you whatever plans he has for you will be delayed, and that can give the rest of Souls Society time to prepare for a real battle with his forces; we were caught off guard last time, and given more time we might be able to discern _what_exactly Aizen is planning for you, Kurosaki."

Ichigo had to, grudgingly, admit they were right, and wondered if this was the real reason why Goat-face was sending him to the school. He stayed only a little longer with them before heading home to study (Urahara had decided to be useful for a change, giving Ichigo an encyclopedia summarizing the different youkai species and classes) and to inform his friends of his transfer.

They'd been as shocked and irritated as Ichigo had been at first, but after Ichigo explained the reason behind the transfer they calmed down – especially after he promised Tatsuki that Ichigo had given Urahara and Chad enough information on Fullbring that they'd be able to continue her and Karin's training. A silent nod from Chad was all Ichigo needed to confirm that Chad would be watching over his sisters while he was gone and Ichigo sighed in relief – his sisters would be in safe hands.

XXXXXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXXXXX 

And that was how Ichigo ended up in an abandoned-looking bus stop waiting for the bus that's take him to his new school – that'd be full of monsters (he still hadn't really gotten used to that idea yet).

The bus came right on time – but going about five times faster than the speed limit, if the skid marks were anything to go by. Pausing only to threaten his father one last time to take proper care of his sister, Ichigo stepped into the bus. Into his new life.

**A/N: ****Any way to clear up a few things that you're probably wondering about:**

**Tsukishima didn't help out with Ichigo's training because Ginjou (rightfully) thought that if Ichigo knew about his Fullbring before getting to know them Ichigo wouldn't trust the rest of them, and is thus saving that meeting for later. Ginjou also guessed that Ichigo would tell Soul Society about their abilities and he wants to keep Tsukishima's ability as a ace in the hole.**

**Hollow Ichigo's bankai form is the one he took during the Decide arc.**

**I've changed Ichigo's Fullbring to resemble his new bankai form because I **_**hated**_ **his completed Fullbring in the manga/anime. Why? Because the first thought I had upon seeing it was "OMG he looks like a fucking Power Ranger. I hate Power Rangers" – thus is my excuse.**

**Ichigo could read Ginjou's emotions because I believe, what stopped Ichigo from doing so in Canon was Tsukishima's Book of the End interfering with Ginjou's memories/emotions. For those who think I'm having that ability too enhanced… congrats you've stumbled across one of the many hints to the main plotline that are scattered across this chapter. How many other have you found?**

**On Ichigo's calmness over being monitored…seriously who expects to get off scot-free after invading a military compound and beating down two of their best fighters- uncovering a conspiracy in the process or not?**

**Well that's all for now, please review!**


	2. Start of a new Life

**School Daze**

**By Raindrops 28**

"Normal Speech"

_"Thoughts"_

**"Zangetsu"**

**"Hollow Ichigo"**

**Chapter 1: New School**

Tsukune Aono stared out of the bus that would take him to his new school. So far he'd lead a pretty average life, he had no special skills and his grades were all straight C's, but he hadn't thought that would lead to him _failing __**all**_ of his high school entrance exams. Tsukune wouldn't even been able to attend school this year at all had his father not ran into a priest that'd dropped a brochure to a "Youkai Academy" that, despite being a private school, admitted anyone with just an application review. Tsukune found the entire thing highly suspicious, but couldn't pass up the opportunity (at his mother's insistence) to give the school a try instead of waiting an entire year to take entrance exams again.

The bus Tsukune was currently traveling on, however was making Tsukune rethink this option. Not only was it incredibly creepy, but there had only been one other person on the bus when he'd boarded – a tall, board-looking orange-haired teen who looked like he'd revel himself to be a yakuza any second. Tsukune tried to stay out of the other teen's range of sight, but as soon as he'd gotten on the unknown man had locked gazes with him only to narrow his eyes in threatening, judging sort of way that set Tsukune on edge. The probable yakuza hadn't glanced back at Tsukune since, but he still wasn't sure he wouldn't be jumped as soon as they left the bus.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Ichigo hadn't been particularly surprised when the bus had stopped to admit another student. He had, however, been surprised by the reiatsu the student leaked – or in better terms the complete _lack_ of reiatsu that identified the newcomer as nothing more than a human, and not a youkai like Ichigo had expected. Ichigo had no idea why a human was boarding a bus to a school for youkai (Ichigo didn't really count himself, not when he could become a shinigami at a moment's notice), unless the Academy regularly had regular humans enrolled as a trial run for its students, but the idea seemed unlikely to him.

Ichigo had frowned at the puzzle, which seemed to scare the kid, if the consequent squeak and sidelong glances were anything to go by, but this was a reaction Ichigo was used to, so he paid it no mind.

Rukia had told Ichigo that a Shinigami's duty was to protect humans, and if there was a chance that the kid seated behind Ichigo had no idea about the true nature of the school he was entering, then it was Ichigo's duty to prewarn the kid, and get him out before he was hurt – many of the youkai species briefed in the book he was given were particularly violent – the kid wouldn't last a day on his own.

Decision made, Ichigo resolved to confront the kid after they arrived, but before the kid could hide from him during the entrance ceremony.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"So you're the new students enrolling at Youkai Academy?" asked the bus driver, causing Ichigo to focus on him for the first time since he'd gotten onto the bus. Ichigo decided he wouldn't look out of place on a Halloween poster – or a warning about peepers.

"Ah, yes." The kid sounded surprised that they were being addressed.

"That's the general idea isn't it?" asked Ichigo, who was minorly irritated that the bus driver's voice sounded straight out of Halloween movie too.

"In that case you better prepare yourself. That's one scary-ass school you're going to."

The bus driver's comment immediately set Ichigo on guard, who could tell from the bus driver's tone of voice and his decision to turn and look at the kid behind Ichigo that the driver too, knew that the kid was human.

"H-huh? What do you mean?" turning slightly Ichigo could see the kid looked wary, as he should be, but Ichigo's thoughts were cut off as the bus driver turned his attention to Ichigo.

"You too, orange. This ain't gonna be like anything you've faced before."

"Ichigo's frown deepened, but before he could say anything the bus abruptly arrived at their destination – which looked nothing like the tunnel they'd just entered, or streets before it.

"Welcome to your new school kids,…take care…." With that last trailing statement, the bus driver disappeared back through the tunnel they had just exited.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"It's like a completely different world on the other side of the tunnel…I wonder if that's the school over there?"

Ichigo looked at the pumpkin headed scarecrow holding a sigh, to the mansion looking building that looked straight off a horror set, before looking back at the pumpkin.

"Unfortunately, you're probably right."

The kid jumped at the sound of his voice, but made an attempt to be polite anyway.

"O-oh. Um, I'm Aono Tsukune, freshman, Mr.…?"

"Ichigo. Kurosaki Ichigo. Also a freshman." Ichigo was still a little pissed about that too.

"I- I see." The kid, now identified as Tsukune seemed surprised, but too frightened to ask if his name really meant 'strawberry', which was a good thing.

"So, should we just walk up to it, or..?"

"Sounds like a decent bet."

Walking up to the school, Ichigo realized three things. One, he really hated the blood red ocean that surrounded the school/island (seriously where'd it come from) and the perpetual almost-about-to-break out-into-a-thunderstorm weather. Two, Tsukune wasn't going to get over his nervousness around Ichigo anytime soon. Three, he really had no idea how to approach the topic of whether or not Tsukune knew he was about to attend a school for ayashi , so he might as well be perfectly blunt about it. Sighing, Ichigo turned to face Tsukune.

"Alright, this is awkward but there something I have to check. Tsukune, Do you know that this school is for – "

"COMING THROUGH!"

Ichigo barely had time to blink before Tsukune's back was rather rudely introduced to the front tire of a bicycle.

"Ow-ow-ow, that hurt…"

The pink-haired girl riding said bike was tossed off during the collision, so Ichigo turned and offered her hand.

"Oh… thank you. I'm sorry for this…I'm anemic so I get a little dizzy sometimes…."

"Not me you need to be apologizing to." Ichigo answered gruffly, having succeeded in helping the unknown girl to her feet."

"O-oh?"

The pinkette turned, and seeing Tsukune, blushed and promptly repeated her apology.

"Oh it's no problem! No problem at all!" Tsukune's voice was unusually high-pitched and nervous along with his red face, Ichigo could only assume Tsukune was flustered over the girl's appearance. She was pretty enough, Ichigo guessed, but being surrounded by women of Rangiku, Yourichi and Inoue's caliber left Ichigo indifferent to casual displays of beauty, so Ichigo saw no reason to get flustered.

Nevertheless, Ichigo noticed that Tsukune's nose was beginning to bleed, and was a second away from pointing that out when the girl suddenly swayed dangerously, forcing Ichigo to catch her before she fell.

""Oh…the scent of… blood. I…I… can't…"

"Are you all right?" Ichigo asked, minorly concerned at the strange behavior.

"I… I'm sorry but…your smell…so powerful…I just can't….you see…I'm a vampire."

And with that abrupt introduction, Ichigo suddenly found himself in a death grip, the pinkette revealing she had fangs, which she promptly used to pierce his neck and drink his blood.

Wait a minute. The pinkette was drinking his blood. His! And she hadn't even asked!

"The fuck?! Can't you ask before doing something like that to strangers?!"

"I-I'm sorry! , I'm Akashiya Moka. And although I look like this, I'm a Vampire. You – you don't hate vampires do you?"

Vampires? Weren't the Bounts all dead now? Well one way to find out…

"Well… you're not a Bount are you?"

"A what?" Complete cluelessness. Guess she wasn't, then – he'd seen and entry on vampires in the book Urahara'd given him, but he thought it was referring to Bounts and hadn't committed it to memory. Speaking of the Geta-Boushi, Ichigo was sure he already knew how he'd respond if Ichigo asked him about it:

"_Why Kurosaki-kun, I said 'At one time the Bounts were called vampires' – I never said anything about them being __actual_ _Vampires!"_

Yep, that be his response, but know back to the problem at hand. The girl, Moka was looking worriedly at him, and Ichigo could tell by the bewildered expression on his face that Tsukune still hadn't gotten the hint of Youkai Academy's true nature. Sighing in expiration, Ichigo turned to answer Moka.

"Well, I haven't met a vampire before, so I don't have a reason to hate them."

Moka's face lit up in joy.

"Oh, I'm so glad! Then we can be friends! You got to Youkai Academy too, right?"

"Yeah…so does he." Ichigo added, pointing to the shell-shocked Tsukune.

"Oh! I'm sorry for forgetting about you! I hope we can be friends too …?"

"Oh, um it's Tsukune. Aono Tsukune - and he's Ichigo Kurosaki. I hope we can be friends too…" Tsukune trailed off, confused and overwhelmed by Moka's beauty and her strange actions, but hey, it wasn't like she was an _actual_ vampire, right?

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"Welcome, everyone to Youkai Academy! I'm your homeroom teacher Nekonome Shizuka! I think you all already know this but… this is a school built for monsters to attend!"

Or maybe not. Was the only thought Tsukune could process.

Across the room, Ichigo sighed as he watched Tsukune's breakdown. He had wanted t warn him before this happened, but Moka hadn't stopped talking the entire walk to the school, only separating when the entrance ceremony started, leaving Ichigo with no time to talk to Tsukune before they were ushered to their homerooms.

Speaking of homerooms, their homeroom teacher, a woman with brown hair and two tufts on her head that looked vaguely like ears, was reminding Ichigo of Yourichi. A resemblance, considering the teacher's last name – Nekonome – was probably going to prove accurate, if only because she was some sort of cat.

Ichigo tuned out most of the teacher's following lecture, focusing his attention an Tsukune, preparing in case he need to prevent Tsukune revealing his species, his gaze only leaving Tsukune's shaking figure when one classmate spoke up.

"Hey teacher… Wouldn't it be better to just eat all the humans? I could start with all the cute girls."

Luckily, Tsukune's following flinch went unnoticed.

"Sorry I'm late! After the Entrance Ceremony I kinda got lost in the school…"Ichigo turned his head, recognizing the voice.

"Oh, that's fine, just take a seat!" Nekonome replied cheerfully.

Several boys began shouting at Moka's appearance, praising her beauty, leaving Ichigo wholly unimpressed.

"Oh, its Moka." Ichigo only barely heard Tsukune's sentence, but so did Moka, who greeted him, before turning, and upon seeing Ichigo, squeal in joy.

"Ichigo! It _is_ you! I'm so glad we're in the same class! Oh, you too, Tsukune!"

All the boys who had previously shouted praises at Moka now growled and yelled in anger and jealousy because they weren't being hugged by the beautiful new girl. Ichigo sighed in annoyance, a slight reddish tint on his cheeks as he tried to hug her back as best he could.

Caught up in his annoyance, Ichigo did not notice that the same student who'd spoken up earlier was now eyeing them predatorily... Saizou licked his lips, already savoring his next meal.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Being dragged around the school immediately after class was over was not Ichigo's idea of a good time. He'd tried to dissuade Moka by saying he wanted to talk to Tsukune, but _that_ had only caused Moka to invite Tsukune to come with them. Moka hadn't stopped talking _at_ Ichigo (not to him, as Ichigo wasn't paying attention to her at all), so he hadn't been able to slip away and confront Tsukune yet.

Speaking of Tsukune, He didn't look like he was taking the revelation of the existence of youkai very well. He kept shaking, looking at the random students gathered in the hallways, shuddering and going back to studying his feet. Ichigo really needed to talk to him soon.

As another wave of hostility hit Ichigo from the jealous boys staring at Ichigo's hand – firmly encased by Moka, Ichigo felt the vein in his head throb harder. He had no patience for this.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

They were buying drinks now, with Moka having requesting Tomato juice (an odd choice, but Ichigo supposed Moka liked the color), and Tsukune having weakly requested water before collapsing on the bench Moka had taken them to. Moka was now talking softly with him, having apparently finally caught on to his mood.

Ichigo sighed once more, already thinking this school was going to be more trouble than it was worth, when he heard screams coming from behind him, quickly identifying the voice as Moka's.

"….What's a hot chick like you doin' with makin' friendly with a dweebish thing like this?" The man was saying, holding Tsukune by the collar, the threat in his voice clear. Ichigo needed no further prompting, not even needing to activate his Fullbring, Ichigo appeared silently behind them as the man, apparently called Saizou, was finishing his sentence.

"…that weak-ass scumbag and come hang with me instead."

"How 'bout you remove yourself from our company instead?" Ichigo threatened, having taken Saizou's wrist into a death grip – Moka could hear the bones creaking under the pressure of it.

Bolstered by Ichigo's arrival, Moka scowled and nodded firmly in agreement.

Saizou frowned, clearly weighing his options. He'd only stuck after the orange-haired one had left because of the uneasy feeling that his aura inspired and the grip on his wrist proved he'd been right in being weary. Scowling, Saizou dropped the pansy he'd cornered easily and retreated, vowing to return.

"Wow…that was kinda scary, wasn't it? Are you alright Tsukune?"

"Oh," Tsukune seemed to be shaken out of a revive, and brighten slightly at Moka's attention, "Thanks to Ichigo-san, yeah…I'm fine."

"Don't mention it." Ichigo brushed off the thanks easily.

"But… so that's a monster's strength, huh? Ichigo-san and Saizou were incredible…"

Ichigo expression darkened. It looked like Tsukune was nearing his breaking point.

"Tsukune, you say the funniest things! The way you say that, it's almost like you've never seen a monster before!"

"Well, I – " Ichigo stiffened imperceptibly, but Moka, thankfully, cut Tsukune off.

"Oh, that's right! What kind of monsters are you Tsukune, Ichigo? Oh – wait telling our monster identities was against school rules, wasn't it?"

"That's right," Ichigo spoke up, leaning against the railing next to Moka, hoping to get off this topic of discussion. His wish wouldn't be granted, though.

"I'm sorry, forget I just said that." Moka giggled, abashed.

Tsukune, however continued to look morose, and tilting his head to look closer at Moka, spoke.

"But I already know yours, Moka-san…you told us already that you're a vampire."

Moka's blush deepened, placing her hands on her cheeks in embarrassment.

"Yes, well…when I told you two, I didn't have any idea that there'd be a rule like that."

"You just don't look like a vampire at all." Tsukune continued gloomily.

Moka blinked in surprise, but smiled factually.

"Not at the moment, no. But…see this rosary? If I take it off, I'll turn into _real_ scarrry vampire! That's why I wear it. It's a charm that seals away my powers. Actually…I can't even take it off on my own."

To Ichigo that was particularly strange thing to do. Why seal away your powers with a charm you can't remove when you're going to a place as dangerous as Youkai Academy? Was she _that_ incapable of controlling her strength?

Tsukune seemed to being looking at Moka in what was either fear or awe, before Moka returned her attention to Ichigo, smiling in a slightly feral way.

"Of course, even with their powers locked up a vampire still needs blood!"

"Huh?" Ichigo asked blankly, before understanding set in. "Hey! Wait a minute!" But he was already too late.

"Kapu Chuu!"

"DAMN IT!"

XXXTHISISAPAGBREAKXXX

Tsukune shook silently in fear at the scene before him. This was insane. This couldn't be happening. How could someone like Moka-san be so cute and nice…yet still be a …?! Was she really that different from him? But looking at the scene before him, Moka-san biting deeply into Ichigo-san's neck - to his disgruntlement. Disgruntlement, not surprise, not fear.

The memory of Ichigo-san about to ask him something before Moka-san arrived. The memory of Ichigo-san nearly breaking Saizou's wrist with ease… Ichigo-san was, of course a monster as well, wasn't he? Everyone… all of the students (the memory of Nekonome-sensei) - the teachers as well! They were all monsters!

"Whew…Your blood really is amazing Ichigo! The flavor, the balance, the aroma, the body….It's really amazing! So filling and rich!" Moka-san had finished _feeding_ from Ichigo-san, who was glaring at her and clutching the place here she'd bit him in irritatance.

"The fuck?! If it's good you should at least ask first! I'm not a walking buffet!"

"Well…to tell the truth…" Moka-san was clearly not listening. "Ichigo…you were my first…"

"HUH?!"

"The first person I've actually sucked blood from! I've only ever had transfusion packets before…A girl never forgets her first time you know!"

"WHAT?!"

"Oh! I'm so embarrassed!"

WHAM!

Moka-san had pushed Ichigo-san into the wall in an what she apparently deemed an appropriate display of 'embarrassment'.

"I…I can't do this. I really can't do this!" Tsukune whispered at first, his own shock and fear muted , before he raised his voice, almost shouting, as the enormity of the situation finally pressed down on him.

Ichigo's frown deepened. It looked like Tsukune had reached his breaking point.

"Tsukune…?" Moka asked, unsure of what was bothering him.

"I'm sorry Moka-san… but I think…I can't handle this school…I think I should attend a human school after all…"

"To a…No! You _can't_ go to human school Tsukune! I _hate_ humans! I…I went to middle school with humans… and I was so lonely! They were all so mean - all they did was pick on me! They all said "Monsters don't exist, except for in stories?" I felt like a freak! I started to feel like it would be better…if I just disappeared. I never thought it'd be any different…but then you and Ichigo told me you like vampires, and become my friends! For the first I knew I wasn't really alone!"

Moka was crying by the end of her rant, but Ichigo knew by the bowed and darkened look Tsukune's face had taken on that she had not won him over.

"What if…What if I told you I was one of the humans you hate? Would you still stop me then?"

"…What?"

"Moka-san…I am. I'm _human_! I got into this school by mistake! I'm different from you!"

"That's…that' impossible! No human could possibly…"

"It's true, Moka." Ichigo finally spoke up. He had listened to their argument and had gleamed from Moka's tightening of her hands and other twitches that she hadn't been telling the full truth of why she hated humans, or why she had felt it might be better to disappear. That could wait for later though. Right now Ichigo needed to make sure that Moka wasn't going to attack Tsukune or tell anyone else that he was human.

"I-Ichigo…?"

Ichigo straighten further, leveling Moka with his most serious face.

"He's telling the truth, Moka. Tsukune's human, I could tell from the first time I saw him. I understand that you're weary of humans…some are truly evil and need to be stood clear of. But most aren't too bad. Monsters really don't exist to most humans. The kids in your middle school weren't being intentially cruel when they said that - they truly believe monsters don't exist."

Moka was staring at him shell-shocked, as Tsukune, but for different reasons. Ichigo decided to continue when neither looked ready to speak.

"The thing is, though, Moka, is you asked us both the be your friends. And neither of us can be your friends if you refuse to get over your hatred of the entire human race, because…" Ichigo paused, wondering if this was a good idea, but Moka truly looked like she couldn't bear the thought of not having then as friends anymore o he decide to risk it.

"Because I'm human too, Moka. So you need to decide what you're going to do." With that Ichigo turned away from Moka, and motioned to Tsukune to follow him. He did so, still looking terrified and confused – though not nearly as much as Moka, who'd gone deathly pale at Ichigo's announcement.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Now that Ichigo was finally alone with Tsukune, Ichigo could tell him everything he'd been trying to say all day – not that there was much left to tell. Leaning back onto one of the many trees surrounding them, Ichigo watched as Tsukune contemplatedly flipped through Ichigo's Monster Encyclopedia.

"So…so Ichigo-san…you're really human too?" Tsukune finally asked, lifting his gaze from the book.

"I am," Ichigo confirmed.

"But…with Saizou…you seemed…" Tsukune trailed off unsure how to phrase himself, but Ichigo understood what he was asking nonetheless.

"I'm stronger than the average human. I've taken karate classes and I've been in more than a few street fights…as for being able to 'sense' you…well…" Ichigo paused, trying to think of how to reveal some of his abilities while still posing as a human. He really didn't want to have to explain the Winter War to Tsukune _or _Moka. In the end he decided to go with what he'd identified himself as before he met Rukia.

"I'm a medium…or something like that…being able to 'sense' stuff like that just comes with the territory."

Tsukune seemed surprised, but accepting of his explanation, and after a moment of silence , Ichigo spoke again.

"So what are you going to do? Are you going to try and stay at this school, or are you going to go back to human schools?"

"I…I think …if Moka-san accepts us…I'd like to stay. Besides, like I told you, I've already failed all my other entrance exams, so it's not like I many other options!" Tsukune laughed, but with red staining enough of his cheeks so Ichigo had no doubt of why Tsukune really wanted to stay.

"Like her that much, huh?" Ichigo smirked, laughing at the embarrassed nod that came in response.

"Y-yes. She's just so nice and pretty and …"

"Yeah, I get it." Ichigo said, cutting off Tsukune. "It's just up to her n – " Ichigo stopped abruptly, causing Tsukune to look up at him questioningly.

"Ichigo-san? What is it?"

"Moka. Someone's attacking her – her re-aura's flaring fearfully." Ichigo answered shortly, stopping himself from saying 'reiatsu' and changing it to a word Tsukune wouldn't think would be strange.

"What? We should go help her!"

Ichigo nodded shortly.

"Let's go."

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Moka backed up against the tree behind her in fear. Saizou was in front of her, having found her shortly after Ichigo and Tsukune had left. She'd tried to convince him to leave, but he only laughed at her, saying he was going to finish what he started, and that if she wouldn't be with him of her own free will then he'd take her by force.

Moka shuddered. She tried running away, but Saizou had released his true form and was able to keep up with her easily. Moka shrunk into herself. She didn't want this; she didn't want to be alone. She didn't care that Ichigo and Tsukune were humans – not if they could accept her vampire heritage and still be kind and friendly to her.

"Heh. So this is all you can do, Moka Akashiya?! YOUR MINE!"

Saizou had found her.

"N-No…s-someone….SOMEBODY HELP!"

"NOBODY'S OMING FOR YOU MOKA! I SAW YOU PUSH AWAY THOSE WEAKLINGS YOU WERE DRAGGING AROUND! JUST AGREE TO BE MY WOMAN AND I WON'T HAVE TO HURT YOU!"

"I thought I told you to get lost once before, you creep."

Moka swirled around, it was Ichigo – he'd come back. Looking a little further back she could see Tsukune standing a little further away, unsure on how he could help.

"You! What are you doing here! I saw you abandon her!" Saizou screamed, furious another obstacle had arrived at the last moment before he finally claimed Moka.

"Abandon? You need your eyes checked. We just had a small disagreement didn't we, Moka?"

Ichigo turned in her direction for confirmation, and Moka smiled through her tears. They were still going to be her friends, even after all she said. Sniffing slightly, Moka shook her head vigorously in agreement as Tsukune, having gone unnoticed by Saizou came from behind her and held out a hand. Moka took it gladly.

"That's right," she answered. "All three of us are friends"

Saizou screamed and tried to taking a running punch at the two, and Tsukune, panicked, grabbed Moka, trying to push her out of the way of the attack, only for his hand to slip, and catch on her rosary, causing it to fall off.

Moka and Tsukune stared at each other in shock before a storm of energy was released from Moka's prone form. Her hair turned silver and her eyes a deep blood red, and when she spoke it was a deeper, colder, prideful voice than they were used to.

"What's the matter…little boy?" Moka asked disdainfully, noticing her aura had completely frozen Saizou in his tracks. "I thought you wanted to snuggle…so why not show us how strong you are …and…gimme a hug?"

Saizou screamed, intending to show the vampire that she shouldn't be so carefree about his strength, when he was interrupted by Ichigo, who'd flashed in front of him, blocking his path.

"Sorry pal, you want to get closer to her you have to go through me first"

Saizou howled in rage, and sent a punch he intended to have the orange haired teen closet to him thrown across the terrain, but something went wrong. Saizou felt his punch connect, but instead of sending the teen flying, a crater appeared below him as Ichigo took the full force of the blow without moving an inch.

When the smoke cleared Ichigo smirked at Saizou, the retreating smoke revealing that Ichigo had stopped his first with a single hand – a hand that was now covered in a bone-like substance in the shape of an X, with a black sort of mist seeping out from underneath it.

Saizou stared in confusion at the strange sight – a moment he did not have as before he could comprehend what was happing, a single reiatsu-backed punch sent t _him_ flying across the woods, until he hit a rock cliff that knocked him out cold.

Back with Moka, Ichigo snorted as he released his partially activated Fullbring.

"Wasn't much of anything was he?" he asked as he turned back to Moka and Tsukune, the latter of which who was staring at him in awe.

"What?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

"You took him out so easily…" Tsukune answered, awe still evident in his voice.

"Course I did – he was pathetic."

As Tsukune continued to stare at Ichigo, beside him, Moka snorted.

"He _was_ pathetic. I could've taken him out just as easily – I didn't need your help."

"Really?" Ichigo asked, surprised by the change of personality that the removal of the rosary seemed to bring about.

"Yes, but I suppose I should thank you for protecting the Outer-Me. You two are interesting, but I'm still drowsy…it's been awhile since I was last wakened." Moka said, walking up to Tsukune and taking the rosary from his hand.

"Till we meet again…Keep good care of the other me in the meantime, Kay?" With that, the rosary was reattached and Moka fell dead asleep in Tsukune's shocked arms.

Ichigo snorted derisively.

"What am I your bodyguard?"

"Well…um," Tsukune trailed off, unsure if the question was rhetorical or not.

Ichigo turned to look at him, then realized with Tsukune being a human who hadn't gotten into the smallest of a brawl before, along with Moka, who could barely defend herself with the strength she had left over from her sealing – a strength she clearly had no control over, that's what he might as well call himself.

Ichigo could feel his eye twitch. _Shit. _Was all he could think.

**A/N: Well here's chapter one! Because I forgot to mention this before in an A/N, I am the new author. Right now, I am just posting the story so that it is there to begin with, but yeah, welcome!**

**I got saw review asking how Yukari would be included in the harem without making Ichigo into a pedophile … simply put he's going to act like Tsukune did and completely reject any idea of being with her until she's a lot older. The only reason I still will allow her to be really included in the harem was because I couldn't imagine her character without her lewd comments…so don't expect much more than how she is in canon.**

**Also, I want to know what I should do with Kokoa… should she be with Ichigo? I've mostly decided to have her think of Ichigo like a brother, and her later (much later) getting together with Haji (The two may fight, but they seem nice together)…let me know what you think! I also want to know your thoughts on what to do with LingLing and FangFang…they're the only main characters that I haven't decided on a pairing with…perhaps they won't get one...**

**Please review!**


	3. Kurumu

**School Daze**

**Originally by Raindrops 28**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or Rosario Vampire

"Normal Speech"

_"Thoughts"_

**"Zangetsu"**

**"Hollow Ichigo"**

**Chapter 2: Kurumu**

Ichigo was more than a little irritated as he walked to class with Tsukune only a few paces behind him. Several feet in front of him a crowd was forming around Moka because, from what Ichigo could discern from all the shouting, the boys were too entranced by Moka to be paying attention to anything else. Some were even drooling as they shouted praises of Moka's beauty.

Where these people actually serious? Ichigo could acknowledge that Moka was rather pretty, but this was just too much. The boys rarely gave her any room to breathe. They always stalked her, following her around like some sort of goddess. It was a rather disgusting sight, and only served to make Ichigo more deteremed to never leave Moka unsupervised around her 'admirers'. Despite her previous stint with bullying, Moka was a surprisingly naive person, almost childlike in her ability to trust people – something that Ichigo was sure, looking at the faces of some of the boys, they wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of.

Just then, Moka's eyes caught his, giving Ichigo only time to blink before she succeeded in possessively taking hold of his arm. Suddenly, Ichigo sensed an enormous wave of reiatsu hit him. Looking behind himself, he noticed that every single of the male students were glaring at him. Great, he'd just been made a target by Moka's fan club. Normally this would worry someone, but Ichigo doubted any of the glaring boys would be able to force Ichigo to fight seriously at, but at least he'd get some exercise while he was waiting to hear from Soul Society.

"Good morning Ichigo! And to you too, Tsukune!" was her chipper greeting.

"Ah, good morning to you too, Moka-san." Ichigo noticed Tsukune was blushing again, before Moka spoke up again, never losing her grip on his arm.

"Tsukune, I know it must be lonely being one of only two humans here. But I'm here for you guys, so if there's anything I can do… just ask, okay?" Moka said all of this in a deeply sympathetic voice; clearly she had taken Ichigo's words to heart.

"Tch. I don't Tsukune will have to worry about much, and long as he keeps a low profile and doesn't pick any fights."

Still clinging to Ichigo's arm (Ichigo wondered if he should try to pry her off, but decided it wouldn't be worth the hassle, epically since the grip she had was actually hurting Ichigo a bit, a testament to the fact Moka had accidentally tapped into her unsealed vampire strength.) Moka looked at Ichigo, a sympathetic smile gracing her features.

"What?" Ichigo asked, confused by her stare.

"Oh, nothing. It's just nice to see despite how much you scowl you really care about Tsukune's well-being too, Ichigo."

Ichigo scoffed at this congratulating himself when he didn't blush, only to notice that Moka's had.

"Sorry it's just whenever I'm with you," She leaned even closer to him, - something he hadn't thought possible with the grip on his arm, but suddenly her head moved to the side of his neck. "I just want to suck your blood." And she bit down.

Ichigo twitched, the only warning the forgotten Tsukune (not that he had cared, he'd been absorbed in his own thoughts, happy that Moka cared about him at all) had before his explosion. Furiously, griping Moka and forcibly removing her from his neck, Ichigo gave her one of his most pissed off scowls in his arsenal.

"W-What's wrong?" Moka asked shocked and slightly afraid as she stared at Ichigo's angered expression.

"Damn it woman, could you at least ask! I'm not a fucking juice box!" Ichigo yelled before storming off, startling Tsukune out of his dream world and causing Moka to flinch at the loud tone.

"Ichigo?" Moka spoke to Ichigo's retreating form.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Ichigo frowned; looking around at the random piece of the woods he'd found himself in after he'd stopped running. Maybe he shouldn't have run off like that, but still. She _was_ eating him basically. And if this was how their relationship was going to be he didn't think he could handle it.

But then he sighed. They were already friends, albeit very strange friends, but friends nonetheless. As he looked up at the sky, he figured he should go and apologize or something. However, before he could, he heard a soft noise.

"S…Some…one…Help me."

Ichigo turned around, only to see a girl, half collapsed behind him, clearly the source of the voice. Ichigo turned to help her, only pausing when his mind finally comprehended the girl's appearance. She was beautiful, with soft blue hair and purple eyes, and the shirt she was wearing, Ichigo noted with a blush, laws easily able to tell that her breasts were _definitely_ bigger than Moka's, nearly the size of Inoue's.

"Please lend me a hand… I just suddenly started feeling ill." But now was not the time to speculate on such matters. With two quick strides, Ichigo was by the helpless girl.

"Oi, you ok? Can you stand up?" He asked as he helped her up. "We should go to the infirmary to see what's wrong."

The girl gave Ichigo a thankful smile, making him blush slightly. "Thank you very much," She murmured gratefully. "I've always had a weak body."

"No problem" Ichigo said, picking the girl up and carefully balancing her onto his back, to the girl's surprise and began the walk to the school infirmary.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Looking at Moka's silent figure, Tsukune decided to speak up.

"Ano, Moka-san?" he asked, catching her attention, and causing her to look back to him in slight confusion. Tsukune did his best to smile reassuredly.

"Um… I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I don't think Ichigo-san's terribly angry with you. I'm sure if you just apologize and remember to ask next time you want to drink his blood he'll forgive you." Tsukune scratched his cheek, wondering if he could possibly sound any less sure of himself, but then Moka smiled softly.

"Mm! I think so too. Ichigo actually very nice isn't he? He wouldn't have helped us before if he wasn't."

Tsukune returned her smile; happy he had been able to lift her mood, even just a little. Turning back to continue their walk to class, though, Moka noticed Ichigo walking back from wherever he'd run off to.

"Ichigo!" Moka shouted, not noticing that Ichigo was carrying an unknown girl on his back as she ran up to him. "I – I just wanted to say I'm sorry…I just …"

Ichigo looked up at her, and noting her sincerity, sighed and replied, "That's fine, Moka, you have your needs and I can understand that, just make sure you _ask_ next time, okay?"

Moka smiled, relieved Tsukune had been right and she'd been forgiven so easily, until she finally noticed the unknown girl carried on Ichigo's back.

"Ichigo? Wh-who's this?" Moka asked, unsure of what she should think of the situation. Behind her, Tsukune winced and wondered if he should seek cover.

"Hm? She's sick o I'm taking her to the nurses office. I…actually I don't know her name."

The girl on his back however, twitched in annoyance, this would've been the perfect chance, but with her being on Ichigo's back she couldn't catch his eyes and place him under her charm. Frowning momentarily, the girl realized while not how she initially planned it, she could still use the situation to her advantage.

Swooning in a slightly exaggerated manner, she made sure Moka Akashiya could see that she had pressed her breasts against Ichigo's back, which combined with the faux exhaustion and sweat she was producing, made the scene look vaguely suggestive.

The girl was pleased to note Moka's narrowing eyes and her lips thinning in anger. Moka had immediately recognized what Ichigo did not – that the 'swoon' had been fake and this girl was issuing a challenge.

Ichigo's brow creased slightly in worry.

"Sorry Moka, she doesn't seem like she's holding up too well, I gotta get her to the Nurses' office quickly."

Ichigo sped up his walk, making sure to not jostle his passenger, ass Tsukune looked worriedly at the cross look Moka was sporting.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Ichigo had dropped off the girl who's introduced herself as Kurumu Kurono before he left, barely making it to homeroom before the tardy bell. While Ichigo sat down and began concentrating on his work, however, the same could not be said for Moka, who had noticed the supposedly 'ill' girl was already back in class and began staring at her in a distinctly indiscreet way.

_That girl…I think her name's Kurumu. Who is she to Ichigo anyway, to act like that earlier?_

_Hehehe…she's looking, she's looking at me._ Kurumu thought, eagerly returning Moka's glare. _Now for my final move…!_

While Ichigo was completely oblivious to the glaring contest one seat behind him, Tsukune was not so lucky, and spent the entire time worriedly wondering if he should be ducking for cover, in-between thought of how Ichigo could miss the spectacle happing right behind him.

Finally however, the bell signaling the end of class rang, and Nekonome's sensei released them, allowing Tsukune to breathe a sigh of relief when Kurumu wasted no time in immediately leaving the room.

The relief, however, was short-lived when Moka immediately raised and followed her, leaving Ichigo, after he'd packed his things, to turn and stare stupidly at Moka's empty seat, used to her waiting for him before leaving.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Moka frowned. She'd immediately followed Kurumu after class had ended, determined to see what exactly her intentions were, and yet she'd somehow lost sight of her.

"Hey you… apparently you're a vampire right?" Moka twisted around and looked up to see the girl she'd been looking for sitting on the railing of the stairs, eyeing Moka with a distinctly predatorial look.

"That's at least what the rumors are saying, Akashiya Moka." Kurumu finished, still with the same predatory hint in her voice.

"You!" Moka yelled when she regained her bearings. She was going to continue, but at that moment the girl twisted herself over the railing and jumped down. She landed gracefully and without a noise.

No sooner than had she landed the herd of boys that were behind her immediately started praising Kurumu's beauty. Kurumu in turn swung her hips, flaunting her beauty knowing that they were already hypnotized by.

Ignoring the rambling of the boys, she stalked towards Moka, clearly intending, and succeeding in intimidating her; despite the fact Moka was easily taller than the girl by half a head.

"I am the succubus Kurono Kurumu…" She began confidently, "And I… have come to make a declaration of war."

"Declaration of war...?" Moka, asked, her soft voice making clear her confusion.

"The problem is this – you're in the way. I've got big plans and you're messing them up." Kurumu, now deep within Moka's personal space, continued in the same confident tone, completely ignoring Moka's question.

"Plans?"

"That's right. I'm gonna turn all the boys in this school into my love slaves." Kurumu said, twirling into a flashy pose, with her voice rising in haughtiness by the second. "The Youkai Academy Harem Transformation Plan!"

Moka simply stood there; her face registering shock and surprise she need to communicate her thoughts. Meanwhile, Kurumu simply continued on another long speech.

"You betcha. It's the perfect plan, drawn up by yours truly, the one and only, Kurumu Kurono, Youkai Academy's resident succubus!" she shouted, inherently pleased with herself and uncaring that she showed it.

This however, caused Moka to notice something she hadn't before,

"B-But wait…isn't it against school rules to reveal your monster identity…?" She asked, completely ignoring Kurumu's plan. (Moka didn't see what she had to do with it; there was only one boy she was interested in at the school, unless Kurumu meant it when she said she wanted_every_ boy in the school to belong to her. Moka was confident Kurumu had simply meant the majority, otherwise Kurumu would be including the teachers in the equation as well.)

Irritated, Kurumu tried to bring Moka's attention back to the matter at hand.

"But _then_, Moka Akashiya!" she shouted, firmly planting herself back into Moka's personal space, uncaring of the show she was giving the gathered crowed when her pointed argument caused her breasts to push uncomfortably against Moka's "Then the stupid boys in this school suddenly fell for _you_ instead of me!"

"Th-That's not the issue." Moka tried to protest, she wasn't interested in them anyway, so Kurumu could pursue them all she wanted to. "The school rules are – "

"Just 'cuz you're super-cute, you don't have to act so full of yourself!" Kurumu continued angrily, uncaring that she and Moka weren't even arguing over the same thing – the point was that Moka was arguing with her at all, if you know what I mean.

"I'm not giving this up at all! When it comes to feminine charms, I shouldn't be losing to anyone!" Kurumu shouted, suddenly prancing away from Moka and smirking with an air of arrogant assurance before she began speaking in a dangerously sweet tone.

"So that's why I decided to beat you once and for all…by stealing Ichigo Kurosaki form you!" Kurumu finished triumphedly, thoroughly shocking Moka.

"Wh-what? Why? Ichigo has nothing to do with this!" Moka shouted, confused and hurt by this sudden deceleration.

"I knew when I got close to him… he has a really good scent, doesn't he? It's powerful and smells almost like a human's." Moka's gaze was locked with Kurumu whose face was filled with triumph and victory.

"Is his blood delicious?" She asked mockingly, "You're using Ichigo was food aren't you?"

She gave a haughty laugh as she said, "Good luck trying to find another food source after I take him from you!"

Moka took a step back as those biting words. "No… I'm not using him, I'm…"

"Moka!" Both girls stopped their arguing and turned their heads to find Ichigo walking towards them, with Tsukune trailing only a few paces behind him.

"Ohhh! It's Ichigo!" Kurumu squealed with delight as she ran up to him, grabbing his arm in a deceptively strong hug and pressing it against her supple breasts.

"Thank you so much for earlier!" Kurumu chirped in a fake oblivious tone as she rubbed herself against him.

"Ah… you're the girl from earlier, right? I guess you're feeling better now…" Ichigo trailed off uncertainly, unsure of what exactly he had just walked into.

"Mmm! I am!" Kurumu hummed happily, "I'm Kurumu Kurono, by the way."

"Ichigo Kurosaki." Was Ichigo's short reply as he tried to ease out her grip, he didn't like the way Moka was glaring at them.

"Ichigo!" Moka shouted, intending to tell him, what exactly Kurumu was trying to pull, but Kurumu cut her off, clutching her chest again.

"I-Ichigo, I'm feeling sick again. Can you take me to the nurse?" She asked pleadingly, finally catching Ichigo's eyes and releasing her charm.

Ichigo didn't understand what was happening. One moment he's looking at the newly introduced Kurumu, the next he feels dizzy and weird as a strange longing to be closer to Kurumu filled him, as if he couldn't control his own body. A hostile take-over of his body, however, was something Ichigo had experienced before, and compared to the force of his hollow, the paltry amount of power that had leaked from Kurumu was nothing, and Ichigo shattered it easily with a single burst of his reiatsu.

Kurumu stumbled at the shock of her charm being broken, and Moka smiled when Ichigo forcibly removed himself from Kurumu's grip and glared down at her.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

Kurumu frowned, despite her shock at her charm being broken, something that had never happened before she was nowhere near ready to give up, and tried hitting him with another charm, this time putting much more force behind it.

The weird feeling was back, Ichigo noticed, but instead of placing him in a sort of trance as it had before, it now seemed to try and draw him towards Kurumu, with the promise of sensual and intoxicating pleasure, but all these instincts, all these desires, still flowed around one thing – Ichigo himself and his will; and Ichigo would never tolerate someone else controlling his mind, his resolve, his soul. He called to his power and Zangetsu answered.

For one brief moment, the full force of Ichigo's reiatsu crashed down on Kurumu, shattering her charm, suffocating her with its hostility and sending her crashing to her knees. Ichigo glared down on her.

"I don't appreciate attempts to control my mind, Kurumu Kurono." Ichigo began, his voice like steel, "Next time you try something like this I won't be so tolerate."

Turning his back to her, Ichigo reigned in his reiatsu and left to his next class, with a strangely dazed Moka and a greatly confused Tsukune following behind him.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"Eh? Your rosary talked to you?" Ichigo turned, looking up from his lunch to face Moka.

"Yeah." Moka confirmed, having just finished recounting what her other self had informed her of a succubus' power, and bringing Tsukune up to speed on what Kurumu had been attempting.

"It's a good thing you didn't give in Ichigo, Ura-chan told me that if a succubus kisses someone while they're under their thrall, the person will become their slave forever."

Tsukune seemed much more concerned about this than Ichigo was, who simply returned to his lunch dismissively.

"Well it's a good thing she won't be able to affect me anymore then. Now that I know how her 'charm' works and faced it, it won't work again."

Tsukune seemed reassured by this, but Moka narrowed her eyes, and felt Ura-chan stir, also interested in Ichigo's dismissal. Ura-chan had told her it was next to impossible for a succubus' charm to be broken through will power alone. The victim would have to be extraordinarily stronger than the succubus for it to happen even theoretically; since a succubus' charm was just really causing a male's natural instinct to reproduce to go on overdrive, it would still be incredibly hard for a male to overcome that instinct.

An ability that was beyond a human's capabilities. Something that Ichigo claimed to be.

Moka's lips thinned in thought. Ura-chan was certain it'd be impossible for a human to overcome a succubus' charm, especially since she'd only herd myths and legends of the three Dark Lords having the power to without having specific talismans or spells that'd destroy a succubus' ability to perform a charm.

Maybe….maybe Ichigo was lying about being human. Moka frowned then dismissed the idea, Ichigo was too honest, too honorable to lie about something as important as that, and the look on his face when he'd told her was anything but dishonest.

Perhaps it was something else then. Perhaps Ichigo was speaking of a technicality when he said he was human. Moka's own rosary seal left her nearly human – perhaps Ichigo's monster powers were so thoroughly sealed he'd been turned into a human, and Kurumu's charm had been destroyed when it'd encountered that seal trying to reach Ichigo's mind. Ura-chan had heard of seals that could turn monsters into humans, though she'd always thought they were myths.

Moka's frown deepened. Such a seal seemed possible in Ichigo's circumstances, but it was horrible for Moka to contemplate being forced to become a human – surely Ichigo wouldn't have willingly let his powers sealed to such an extent – even Moka with her unwillingness to cause trouble hadn't really wanted to agree to her seal. Before Moka could contemplate this further, however, Ichigo's voice cut through her musings.

"But anyway, Tsukune, I doubt we've seen the last of Kurumu. Since she seems to be targeting the men Moka hangs out with instead just Moka outright Kurumu might try to get to you next, since she failed with me. You should be on guard for a while." Ichigo finished, leveling Tsukune with a serious look.

"O-oh, do you really think she'd go that far…? I mean, it seems like such a petty grudge to get so worked up over it…" Tsukune trailed off worriedly.

"It may be petty, but I've gone and humiliated her by brushing her off in front of so many people." Ichigo pointed out, to Tsukune's dismay. "She'll be angry and want payback, especially since she was already ready to go so far for a 'petty grudge'".

Tsukune couldn't really argue with that, and promised he'd try to be on especially on guard. He did seem relieved though when Ichigo said he'd be concentrating on watching their aura's incase Kurumu corned one of them while they were alone.

The rest of the day, though, passed without incident, and back at his dorm, Ichigo soon fell asleep, unconcerned about the threat Kurumu might pose.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Kurumu Kurono was mad, no scratch that she was _furious. _Never before had she felt so humiliated. First that stupid Akashiya Moka had taken the attention of half the boys at Youkai Academy, and then when she thought she finally found a way to get back at her, the boy she tried to charm and lure away from her breaks her charm as if it was no more than a meek suggestion instead of the powerful compulsion it was. And it happened in front of everyone too! _Everyone_ had seen her humiliation and defeat. Well she wasn't going to stand for this, no she wasn't! She _was_ going to get back at Ichigo Kurosaki and Moka Akashiya.

Sneaking into the boy's dormitories was easy enough for Kurumu, as was finding out which room belonged to Ichigo Kurosaki – Ichigo's scent practically _bathed_ his entire floor, it was so strong. Closing the door softly behind her, Kurumu frowned in thought. Ichigo's scent really was something; it smelt as delicious as a human's, yet had the power of a high-class youkai.

Kurumu licked her lips as she stared at Ichigo's sleeping back, a deep want suddenly filling her unlike anything she had ever experienced with her other 'boyfriends.'. Maybe…maybe she just wouldn't use Ichigo as a hapless servant like the other boys she'd had under her control. Succubae (and their male counterparts Incubi), like vampires, didn't rely on human food for their main source of substance, succubae fed on the energy and emotions of others, human or youkai through _any_ physical affection, not just sex; a succubus' ability to enter dreams was just an extension of that ability.

Until succubae reach the age when they can draw out that mix of energy and emotions on their own they were fed by their parents, who supplied them with feelings of parental love and affection. Kurumu bit her lip. She hadn't feed since she left for school, no one she'd charmed since arriving was worthy enough to be her first time, or even be the less personal feeding by entering a person's dream. The lack of feeding was starting to take its toll on Kurumu, and she knew she'd have to settle soon, before she _really_ started to feel the drawbacks.

Yet Ichigo had been unaffected by her charm, even managing to bring her to her knees with just a look. Kurumu didn't think there was much more a person could do to be worthy to be Kurumu's first. Yes, Kurumu decided, after she had successfully gotten Ichigo under her charm, she'd practice her dream-entering skills and feed off of Ichigo.

Kurumu had barley sneaked herself onto Ichigo's bed, however, when a snitch in her plan appeared. Ichigo, long used to his Dad sneaking into his room at all hours of the night for 'training' reacted to the slight shift in weight and slightly hostile air sported by Kurumu instantly. Kurumu had no time think before she was hit by a roundhouse kick to the stomach, hurling her through the window and landing roughly on the ground outside.

"DAMN OLD MAN DID YOU FOLLOW ME ALL THE WAY - eh? Kurumu?" Ichigo blinked, temporarily dumbfounded at the sight of Kurumu laid on the ground instead of his father, before Shiro spoke up, his voice echoing with the in anticipation of violence.

"**Don't feel too sorry for her, Kingy. What do you think she was in your room for in the middle of the night?"**

Ichigo frowned, coming to the correction conclusion as he leaped down from the window and walked towards Kurumu's rising figure.

Kurumu slowly stood up, the shock of the kick dispersing and causing her to realizing one thing: Ichigo had stopped her from kissing him… and now, she was pissed.

Ichigo stared in shock as Kurumu suddenly grew a pair of leathery wings from her back and her fingers lengthened into sharp… claws? Really long ones at that. Ichigo sighed when he sensed a menacing reiatsu coming from her.

"Kurumu? Really what do think you're going to accomplishes? Revealing you true form is against the rules, you know."

"Shut up!" Kurumu yelled, surprising Ichigo when he heard a trace of hurt lacing the scream. "You… Ichigo. I did so many things for you, embarrassing things at that. Yet you shoved me off like I was some hideous thing! Do you hate me that much… ICHIGO!?"

Ichigo was caught off guard when Kurumu suddenly launched herself at him, but he didn't need to be when Moka suddenly arrived, Ura having alerted her to Kurumu's and Ichigo's raised energies, and pushed Kurumu away from Ichigo, throwing her through a tree in the process.

"Ichigo!" Moka called, relived to see Ichigo was indeed, still all right, but had no further opportunity to speak, as Kurumu had returned.

"Hmpf… to be thrown so far. I suppose that made you think you're strong…Akashiya Moka!" Kurumu screamed, her anger reaching a peak. "Some over here and face me! I know you had to have done something to Ichigo for him to be so indifferent to my charms… you're trying to claim him too aren't you! I _won't _allow it! I _have_ to have him, I _have_ to have every male under my control, it's _the only way_ I'll find my Destined One. I _will_ destroy you Moka Akashiya and claim Ichigo as mine!"

Kurumu's reiatsu changed, becoming colder and more determined, as she shouted her intentions; Kurumu lunging at Moka as she finished her last sentence.

Ichigo made it just in the nick of time, grabbing her wrist stopping it an inch from Moka's chest. "Don't I get a say in this Kurumu Kurono?" Ichigo asked, twisting his wrist so Kurumu's stance fumbled, before he released her suddenly, causing Kurumu to stumble a few steps backwards.

Ichigo placed himself in front of Moka, blocking any attempt at a direct attack form Kurumu. She stared at him with something close to hurt in her eyes.

"Why, do you really hate me that much? Is she so much better than me?" Her reiatsu became even darker "I did everything I could for you!"

"Kurumu you tried to control my mind, that's not the way to get on someone's good side let alone to start off a relationship."

"No, I only awakened you desires, your instincts."

"No you didn't" Ichigo countered "You tried make me succumb to your will, you pushed those feelings on me." Ichigo flared his own reiatsu, activating his Fullbring and lunging to meet Kurumu's attack that had followed his statement.

Kurumu's blows were sloppy and erratic, fueled by Kurumu's unsteady emotional state, and Ichigo easily sidestepped them, reaching out and grabbing her wrist once more, only to twist it behind her back, locking her in place.

"Kurumu you can't beat me, put away your nails and let's talk about this." Ichigo said softly, trying to get her to calm down.

She bristled "There's nothing to talk about!" Her wings spread out as she tried to break Ichigo's grip, but to no avail, Ichigo roughly pushed her to the ground as a deterrent; but to his surprise Kurumu, instead of retaliating (or trying to) she begin crying, bending her head so that her hair hid her eyes from view.

Ichigo sighed. _"In the end she's only looking for love, knowing what I've seen at this school, she's probably been taught to think what she's doing is the right thing." _Ichigo thought. Kurumu really didn't seem like a bad person to Ichigo, now he just had to get through to her.

"Kurumu" he said softly "Everything you've been doing has been to find your Destined One, right?" Kurumu wailed softly as she nodded, then bend her head so that the side of her throat was bear – a clear sign of submission, one that clearly expected punishment or death.

"I am not going to kill you, Kurumu." He walked up and knelt beside her lifting her chin so their eyes met.

"You can't blame a child for the why they were raised, I know you thought you thought what you were doing was the right thing, with your race being so small." He let his voice become a shade harder "But what you were doing was wrong, forcing your will and desires onto those around you. You don't realize how strong that charm of yours is to others, or the damage you cause when you use it; forcing others to 'love' you with it is no better than rape." Ichigo paused as a sort of horrified understanding filled Kurumu's eyes.

He gestured to Moka, to the school around them "Your plan will not succeed, even if I wasn't here to stop it, you would never find you Destined One." More tears filled her eyes

"What you offer is pleasure that is not love. As long as you only seek love using your body like it's the only thing you've got to offer, you will never find love. Your Destined One will love you and respect you for more than just your looks; he'll love you for who you are. For you mind, your emotions, your heart and your personality." Ichigo stood back up and walked over to Moka.

"But what if I never find him?" Kurumu asked, sounding defeated and lost.

Ichigo turned back to her. "You'll find someone, Kurumu. It may take longer than you want and be harder than just flinging your charm around, but it'll be worth it in the end. You just have to start trying."

Kurumu stared at him as he left in tow with Moka, a strange feeling blooming inside her.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"EEHHH?! All that happened while I was asleep?" Tsukune asked, more than slightly amazed at Ichigo's latest adventure.

"Pretty much" Ichigo confirmed nonchalantly, as if last night was a regular occurrence in his life.

Tsukune sighed, both relived that the problem with Kurumu had been resolved without him being targeted, but also slightly annoyed that he'd been passed over again, even as he'd set up several traps in his room and had been on edge so much the night before he'd barely gotten any sleep. It was probably for the best he hadn't gotten involved anyway, though.

Moka nodded, smiling all the while, happy that her other friend hadn't had to've been dragged into the whole mess either, before she frowned, catching Tsukune's attention.

"What is it, Moka?"

"Oh!" Moka looked up, surprised that Tsukune seemed so in tune to her emotions. "It's just that, this is the second time my rosary had spoken to me in a single day…I'm scared that the seal may be weakening…" Moka trailed off, Tsukune and Ichigo looking at her in concern.

"It's just…if it comes to the point where the seal doesn't work anymore… Ichigo… Tsukune…you would still like me… right?"

Ichigo gave a rare smile as he said, "Sure, how bad could you be?" Behind him, Tsukune grinned and nodded in agreement.

Moka blushed as she sunk her head into her shoulders in embarrassment. That smile… it made her feel so warm and happy!

"GOOD MORNING!" Came a loud cheerful voice from behind them, causing Ichigo to stagger forward.

"Huh?" Ichigo asked in annoyance only to find Kurumu standing there with a smile and holding a plate of cookies. His annoyance lessened… slightly.

"Ichigo, I baked some cookies, won't you eat them with me?" She asked with a pleading, yet cheerful, smile.

Ichigo sighed. "Eh sure, but what's this for?" He asked as he took a cookie and bit it. "Hey that isn't bad." He then bit the cookie again, this time savoring it a bit more.

Kurumu giggled, glad that her Destined One liked her baking. "Hey Ichigo, remember when you said I'd be able to find my Destined One?"

Ichigo nodded as he took another cookie from the plate. "I've decided… it's Ichigo!"

Ichigo paused in mid-bite of his cookie. His eyes turned towards Kurumu and he could only think of one thing to say

"EH?!"

Kurumu nodded happily, ignoring Moka's shocked and slightly angry stare, and Tsukune, who was too dumfounded to find any words.

"Yes!" Kurumu continued cheerfully, "You really opened my eyes! I'm in love!" Moka had regained enough of her bearings to glare at Kurumu, who eagerly returned the look. Ichigo may have forgave and forgot, but Moka clearly hadn't.

"Who should we invite to the wedding Ichgio?" Kurumu asked cheerfully, just to annoy Moka further.

"Ichigo do something about her!" Moka shouted, clearly expecting him to have some sort of remark that'd make her back down; but Ichigo was only good about speaking with women when they needed support and help, which Kurumu clearly didn't.

"Everything I do makes it worse!" was Ichigo's only response as he turned to flee from his new admirer, who was chased by an irate Moka.

Tsukune continued to stare dumfounded at the scene, only slightly concerned by the new wave of envy and anger that came from the gathered crowd of males that followed Moka and Kurumu wherever they went.

**A/N: Moka's reference to seals that can turn youkai into humans is a sort of reference to Vampire Knight. If you're wondering why Ichigo isn't bothering to hide his ability to sense others, it's because he thinks Tsukune went ahead and told Moka about him being a 'medium', which he hasn't. Tsukune's still too amazed by Moka's beauty and by about her obvious attraction to Ichigo to talk to her as much as he does in canon yet, hence Moka's confusion.**


	4. Clubs

**School Daze**

"Normal Speech"

_"Thoughts"_

**"Zangetsu"**

**"Hollow Ichigo"**

**Chapter 3: Clubs**

"R-really? It's okay?" Moka asked, a blush spreading across her face in joy.

"Yeah." Ichigo sighed tiredly.

"This is the first time you're voluntarily letting me drink your blood! Thank you so much Ichigo! Kapuchuu!"

Ichigo grunted slightly at Moka's iron grip on his neck, but allowed it. This was, after all the first time Moka had actually controlled herself and asked to feed from Ichigo, instead of jumping him at the first stirrings of hunger.

As Moka finally removed herself from him, Ichigo rubbed his neck, wincing at the bruise he knew was going to form. Sighing for the third time in as many minutes, Ichigo hoped the rest of the day wouldn't be as troublesome.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"Well then everyone, this Academy's goal is to train monsters to adapt to human society… just as I've been saying all along…So that means... starting today you're all going to take up Club activities!" Nekonome finished enthusiastically.

Wish not granted, was Ichigo's only thought.

"Understand? Everyone will participate in club activities! Everyone please visit a lot of groups and decide which one you want to enter. Come look at my Newspaper Club too!"

Ichigo twitched, taking only a small amount of comfort in the fact that Tsukune seemed just as unenthusiastic as Ichigo felt.

XXXTTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Moka insisted on all three of them joining the same club, something Ichigo noted, seemed to make Tsukune very happy. Ichigo didn't really care, but decided that if he had to join a club he might as well be in one with _some_ familiar faces.

Looking at the scene before him though, Ichigo was amazed at the shear amount of students, signs and stands that had been crammed into the school's hallways. Bracing himself, Ichigo followed Moka and Tsukune's lead to the first stall.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Half an hour later, all that had been accomplished was Moka being accosted by the Ghost Photography Club, Science Club (and there was no way in hell Ichigo was joining a science club after being exposed to the Twelfth Division Captain), the Acupuncture and Mummy Club.

"Okay" Ichigo spoke up, "Anyone got any _better_ ideas for a club to join?" he asked, beginning to get more than slightly irritated.

Tsukune and Moka frowned, looking around glancingly, before Tsukune's eyes lit up.

"Ah! How about that one Ichigo-san, Moka-san?" He asked, pointing to a woman in a two-piece bathing suit who was promoting the swimming club. Moka, far from being delighted, glanced worriedly at the water behind her, and Ichigo knew why.

Ichigo scoffed, causing Tsukune to glance back at him. "As if, vampires hate water, Tsukune. Did you forget?" Ichigo asked, wondering if the kid had truly forgotten or has yet to read the section on vampires in the book he'd given him; an option that seemed unlikely – the first thing Ichigo would've done upon learning his new friend was a vampire would've been to learn everything he could about them, to avoid situations like this. However, judging by the way Tsukune blinked guiltily and a bit sheepishly, Ichigo thought the latter reason was more likely.

"O-of course! Sorry Moka-san, we don't want to try this club after all, do have anywhere you want to go?"

Moka smiled back at Tsukune, happy she wouldn't have to go any nearer to the water, when suddenly, the Swimming Club's president, Tamao Ichinose somehow managed to grab both of Ichigo's hands and hold them in hers.

"Why don't we swim together? The swimming club is all female…"She began as she moved one hand to Ichigo's face, stroking his cheek, clearly an attempt to entice him. "The ladies will end up paying lots of special attention to the boys who join our club!"

Ichigo would normally be flustered by her attentions, but Ichigo hated being told what to do, especially since he knew the woman had heard their declaration to not join her club.

Turning to face Tamao, Ichigo gave her his one of his hardest glares, leaking a small amount of his reiatsu for intimidation and spoke.

"I don't think we're interested in your club, understand?" He said, slowly and accentuating each word carefully so she knew how serious he was. Judging by Tamao's consequential gulp and backing up, Ichigo thought she got the message.

Moka's arms suddenly replaced Tamao's as Ichigo walked away from the swimmers, sending Ichigo a grateful smile, while Tsukune walked only a step behind her, thinking only one thing.

"Ichigo-san's evil eye is amazing as always…"

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Tamao wasn't very happy that the two boys she'd had her eye on since the Entrance Ceremony had slipped from her grasp so easily, but unless she had them in water she wasn't a very good fighter at all, leaving her no choice but to let them go.

Tamao smirked suddenly. She may have not been able to get Kurosaki Ichigo or Aono Tsukune, but she and her fellow club mates were well on their way to filling the entire pool with men. She'd still have her pick of them, just like every year.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

The small incident with Tamao was quickly forgotten; however, as they threw themselves back into trying to find a club that would suit all three of them. Ichigo, upon noticing the sign proudly proclaiming the Thai Boxing Club, asked if the other wouldn't mind joining a fighting-oriented club.

Tsukune was surprised at the thought, and more than a little afraid of the thought of having to regularly fight other youkai. However, upon hearing Moka's agreement to the idea, decided it couldn't be _that bad_ of an idea – joining one might make him stronger – or at least tough enough that he wouldn't be frightened by the lowest levels of youkai.

However, none of the fighting-oriented clubs seemed to meet Ichigo's standards. Their members were either too weak, too stupid or too dishonorable for his taste, and Ichigo ended up dismissing them all out of disgust after spending five minutes at their stands.

Tsukune and Moka were disappointed, but as Ichigo pointed out, the only one out of all them that could learn anything at the clubs was Tsukune, since both Ichigo and Moka (when unsealed) were very proficient fighters. There was simply no point in them joining if only one of them was going to get anything out of it.

Ichigo was the most disappointed of them all. He'd really been hoping that the Kendo club would be worth joining, if only so he could finally learn the 'correct' way to wield a sword, so Soi Fon and Byakuya could finally stop mocking him for 'just' swinging his sword around when he fought – which he didn't, but that didn't negate the truth that he'd never learned the formal swordsmanship that Shinigami learned in the Academy.

Sighing, Ichigo glanced at the one of the last fighting-oriented clubs they hadn't visited yet, the Karate Club. Tilting his head in thought, Ichigo weighed the pros and cons of even bothering to look at their display. Moka had already been trained in her family's fighting style, and while Ichigo had never finished the karate classes he'd been enrolled in when he was a kid, he'd been in more than enough street fights to make formal training rather pointless.

Sighing once again he made his decision.

"Let's just skip the rest of these, you guys. There's clearly not going to be one were we'd actually learn anything _useful. _Why don't we go on and head back to the front and look at those stalls again?"

Ichigo's suggestion was agreed upon, and they all trudged back up to the first stalls; Ichigo never realizing that the one youkai who could've given him a decent fight in his human body, one Haji Miyamoto had secluded himself into the Karate Club. Though, considering Haji prepetuancy towards pre- and barley pubescent girls, this was probably a good thing, especially considering Ichigo's over protectiveness concerning his own sisters.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

It was just Ichigo's luck that no sooner had they passed the Swimming Club's stall once again (with Moka warily clutching his arm) did screams of terror erupt from it, causing Ichigo to pause and look through the fence to see what had happened.

One of the boys Ichigo had seen join the club earlier had been bitten by two girls… and his youth seemed to drain from him. Before Ichigo's horrified eyes the boy turned into an old man, Tsukune and Moka stepping back in shock.

Growling, Ichigo spoke up.

"Moka, Tsukune, stay back here, I'm going to find out just what the hell's going on."

They both nodded, Moka more uncertainly than Tsukune as Ichigo flung himself over the fence, sending a roundhouse kick to one girl who'd not yet bitten down onto the boy she had in her clutches.

"What the hell are you guys doing?!" Ichigo demanded angrily, landing on the cement next to the pool in a battle-ready stance.

Tamao gleefully dropped her hold on the hapless sap she'd cornered, all to happy that one of her earlier targets had returned on his own to her territory.

"Heh. Don't think too badly of us. We lure men into the water and suck out their life force. It's just the way we're made!" Tamao declared gleefully, flipping out of the water temporarily to reveal her true nature as a mermaid.

"Wanna play?" she asked tauntingly, taking joy in the way Ichigo's face closed off further, clearly raising to her bait.

Ichigo didn't bother wasting time, summoning his Fullbring and sending a burst of air pressure at Tamao's minions, who'd taken up position behind her for support that sent them flying, while he used a burst of Bringer Light to get within striking distance of Tamao, who only barley managed to escape the stoke of his sword by diving underwater.

"Don't be afraid, Ichigo-kun! I've had my eye on you since the Entrance Ceremony, and now, _finally_ I get to _eat _you!" She cackled maniacally as her mouth turned into a large fish's mouth, but with dagger-like teeth set in three different rows.

Frowning Ichigo jumped into the air to avoid a particularly nasty swipe of her tail, but this served only to have Tamao laugh once more.

"You're a great target in mid-air! I don't know how strong you are, but in our territory, a mermaid will always be victorious! Now DIE!"

To everyone's surprise though, Ichigo simply stood…in midair, as if it was an everyday occurrence. Noticing Tamao's dumfounded look, Ichigo simply smirked (midair, after all, wasn't a mermaids territory) before easily grabbing her limp wrist and sending her pummeling to the ground with a single punch to the stomach.

Ichigo landed on the cement gracefully, releasing his Fullbring in the process. Stepping up to the nearly unconscious Tamao, Ichigo shot her a sharp look.

" I don't want to see or hear about you or your cohorts pulling something like this again, _am I clear?" _Ichigo asked, accentuating the last bit dangerously.

Tamao nodded weakly before giving into unconsciousness.

"That was amazing!" Kurumu yelled ecstatically, having arrived during the confrontation and gotten the gist of the situation from Tsukune and Moka, gleefully pressing Ichigo's face into her chest. "Just what I'd expect form my Destined One!" Kurumu continued, chirping happily and ignoring the fact Tsukune and Moka had arrived – the former of which who was glaring at her.

Ichigo roughly pulled himself out of Kurumu's grip, gasping and trying to pretend his face _wasn't_ a deep shade of red.

Thankfully, Tsukune seemed sympathetic (or possibly just too shocked to speak) and Moka and Kurumu contented themselves by having an impromptu glaring contest.

Ichigo cleared his throat, deciding to ignore his flushed face and the clean –up of the Swimming Club behind him, and spoke up.

"But what are we going to do? I don't know about you Kurumu, but the rest of us haven't decided on a club yet."

Kurumu happily abandoned her competition to gain Ichigo's attention.

"I haven't joined a club yet either, Ichigo!" she answered bubbly. "I was trying to find you so we could join the same club!" Kurumu noted with glee that Moka twitched and intensified her glare at her mention of 'we'.

Above them, Nekonome-sensei's 'ears' twitched. Somehow she had managed to ignore the commotion of the past five minutes and had happily continued her sunbathing. Now, however, she climbed off her lounging chair, and hanging over the banister, listen in on the conversation, her 'ears' perking up again as she heard Kurumu's declaration.

"Well, in that case, why don't you four join the Newspaper Club?" she asked, her tail almost appearing in her anticipation.

"Newspaper Club…?"

"That's right. I'm the faculty advisor, remember?"

All four of them looked up and blinked at her, before turning and looking at each other in askance. Coming to the general conscience that the club sounded normal enough for them to tolerate, Ichigo shrugged and looked back up at Nekonome-sensei and nodding.

"Sure, why not? It's not like any of the other Clubs caught our attention…"

"Whoo! I finally got some new members! Now I've got _four! _Oooh, I'm so happy!" Indeed, Nekonome's happiness was too much for her to contain, her tail revealing itself as she abandoned her hat, happily cannonballing into the pool beside her – completely ignoring the cleanup of the Swimming Club still in process.

Ichigo sweat dropped, as did the others. Weren't cats supposed to hate the water? Apparently not with Nekonome-sensei.

Tsukune smiled shakily.

"W-well I guess we all ended up in the same club after all, huh?"

Ichigo blinked, before looking back at Moka and Kurumu who weren't nearly as happy about the fact as Nekonome-sensei was.

"I guess…" Ichigo trailed off, no longer enthused. He could already tell that mediating between Moka and Kurumu was going to be a pain.

**A/N: J****ust in case you didn't know: The Thai Boxing Club does exist in Rosario Vampire – it's one of the clubs that Kokoa and Yukari were kicked out of before they tried the Gro-Gro Drops.**

**Bringer Light (Kangen Hikari or Bringa Raito) is the Fullbringers version of Shunpo or Sonido.**


	5. News Club

**School Daze**

**By Raindrops 28**

"Normal Speech"

_"Thoughts"_

**"Zangetsu"**

**"Hollow Ichigo****"**

**Chapter 4: News Club**

"Ichigo!" Kurumu shouted gleefully, "Today we start going to the club together, right?" she asked, not bothering to give Ichigo enough time to reply before she shoved his face into her ample cleavage. This left Ichigo with no way to breathe, but Kurumu didn't notice.

"I'm just so happy I can be in the same club as you Ichigo!" Kurumu finished happily, a slight blush staining her cheeks.

And Kurumu _was_ happy. She was certain that'd she would be able to use all the time they'd spend at the Newspaper Club to get closer to Ichigo, thus enabling her to claim Ichigo as _her_ mate - she _would not_ be losing to Moka! This last thought provoked Kurumu to send a quick and heated glare at said rival, which Moka returned.

Behind them Tsukune watched the scene with mild trepidation. Somehow, he felt like this would not be the last of such incidents. Tsukune didn't think Ichigo would be appreciating Kurumu's displays of affection, though, if the way he was flailing were any indication.

Waiting a few moments longer Tsukune decided to go ahead and walk into the clubroom - it didn't look like anyone had noticed he'd arrived anyway.

Behind him, Ichigo continued to slowly suffocate.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Ichigo…wasn't very impressed with the Newspaper Club so far. He hadn't expected a large amount of people to ion the club, but outside the four of them, there was only one more member – the sophomore Ginei Morioka, the president of the club, since he was the senior most member.

Ichigo had suppressed a twitch of remembrance of Ichimaru Gin when Ginei had asked to be referred to as 'Gin'. When Ginei had proceeded to give flowers to Moka and Kurumu, and then flirt with them, however, Ichigo didn't bother suppressing it. He could swear he saw a twinkle accompanying his cocky grin.

'Gin', Ichigo thought, was definitely the sort of teenage male that a girl's father would shoot on sight. Hell, _Ichigo_ would shoot him if Karin or Yuzu had dragged him home.

After Gin's (late) arrival, Nekonome-sensei had quickly excused herself, leaving them alone with Gin, who had promptly gone into a rather intense introduction of the club's functions.

Ichigo had only played a cursor attention to his speech, paying more attention to his friend's reactions to the speech.

Moka and Tsukune seemed genuinely impressed by his shear charisma and listened with interest. A glance at Kurumu, however, showed she was not nearly as impressed. Kurumu had rather more reserve than Moka or Tsukune in trusting people (which is why it was a good thing Moka and Ichigo had been the first to learn of Tsukune's true nature), and Ichigo wasn't really surprised. Considering both Kurumu's past and nature as a Succubus, it made sense that she would be able to see past Gin's airy performance - such a thing was probably something Kurumu had done herself, before she met them.

The end of Gin's speech brought Ichigo's attention back to the front of the room.

"This is our poster ad; let's put it up on the back wall!" Ichigo sighed. Time for some menial work, then.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"Sempai! Is this high enough to stick the posters?" The conversation between Moka and Gin drew Ichigo's attention away from the stacking of the club's posters; a task he was sharing with Tsukune.

Moka and Kurumu were standing on top of chairs, trying to put the posters on the wall while Gin stood a few feet apart from them.

"No! Just a bit higher!"

"What! Even higher?"

"Yeah! Much, much higher!"

Ichigo frowned. He didn't really like Gin, he was far too flirty for Ichigo's taste; (Mizuiro, at least kept those parts of his life far from Ichigo's eyes. Not to mention he'd really been toning down his womanizing lately) and Ichigo's gut was telling him that Gin was not going to be staying on his good side for very longer.

No sooner than Ichigo thought this, did Ichigo notice Gin had bent down…and was he staring where Ichigo thought he was? A scandalized squeak came from behind him, informing Ichigo that Tsukune had noticed Gin's position as well.

That being the only confirmation he needed, Ichigo calmly walked up behind Gin, who turned slightly to face Ichigo. Or at least, he tried to, he never really got that far, because Ichigo had, just as calmly, reached up and threw a right hook that sent Gin flying through the window.

Tsukune stared open-jawed at him. He hadn't approved of what Gin had been doing, but he hadn't expected Ichigo to react so violently – and calmly too! – though he probably should've. The small amount of time he'd o far spent with Ichigo was imprinting Tsukune with the impression that Ichigo was all too willing to return a classmates threats with violence of his own.

Kurumu and Moka looked down, confused at the sudden commotion – Ichigo didn't normally start randomly hitting people after all.

Ichigo coughed, blushing slightly. "He was staring", was the only explanation he offered. Kurumu and Moka however, caught the underlining meaning after taking in their positions. Moka turned shocked, to Tsukune, who nodded in confirmation.

That was all Moka needed to squeak loudly and flatted her skirt in embarrassment. Kurumu, however, turned to Ichigo and sashayed her hips sultry and asked in a low voice "Are you sure you don't want to look, Ichigo?"

Ichigo's only answer was to turn away so she couldn't see his blush.

Kurumu hopped down from her chair giggling, pretending to ignore but actually enjoying

Moka's heated stare at her back.

Tsukune only thought that Kurumu really needed to start showing her affection in a way Ichigo would like.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

No one bothered waiting for Gin to emerge from wherever Ichigo's punch landed him, instead deciding that Gin's impromptu peeping session called the end of the club meeting for the day.

The next day Ichigo was unsurprised when Gin asked him to complete a News Club related task with him alone. Ichigo was entirely convinced that it was a trap but decided to go on ahead and play along, it'd be better to settle whatever Gin had against him as quickly as possible so neither Moka, Kurumu – or at the worst – Tsukune got involved either.

"My sources lead me to believe the peeper is in there." Gin was saying, pointing at a window above them "Would you take a look?"

Ichigo simply stood rigid, preparing for the fight he knew was going to come.

"I am not an idiot Gin, I know we are right behind the locker rooms on the girls dorm. What are you after?"

Gin smirked a little and shook his head "You really are different Kurosaki," His face changed ever so slightly, a confusing expression flitting over his features. "Moka is an amazing girl Kurosaki, even better than I've heard. She's even got me falling in love."

A wild light gleaming in his eyes was the only warning Ichigo received before Gin suddenly lunged at him, going nearly as fast as Ichigo could if he pushed his shikai to its limits.

"AND YOU'RE IN THE WAY OF CLAIMING HER!"

Ichigo grunted slightly, having barley managed to hold up his arms to block the blow that sent him flying several feet back. Ichigo recovered quickly enough though, flipping back up to his feet and activating hi Fullbring in its entirety– there would be no playing around in this fight.

Gin chuckled shortly after seeing Ichigo recover so quickly, and lifted up and arm to grab the foot Ichigo had sent flying in his direction.

"Well, I didn't think you'd go down with one hit, with all the rumors going around about you…but you really do take a strange monster form. Are you a Monstrel or something?"

Ichigo frowned not answering, instead twisting his foot out of Gin's grasp and flipping back a few paces to see what Gin was planing on doing.

Gin's smirk reached further levels of ferocity upon seeing Ichigo's retreat.

"Heh. Guess you aren't as foolish as you look. But that's not going to do much for you. Do you know what I am? I'm a _werewolf_ – an S-Class Youkai! Our power may rest with the moon, but tonight is a Full Moon and no mere Monstrel is going to get in my way!"

Ichigo's scowl deepened. He'd read about werewolves in the book geta-boushi had given him, and it'd warned him that at the peak of their power werewolves could reach captain-class levels of power; and Ichigo had the sinking feeling that Gin could be one of those werewolves. But in broad daylight, day of the Full Moon or not, was not the condition for the peak of a werewolf's power – but then again Ichigo wasn't in his greatest state of power either, his Fullbring was only a little stronger than his shikai –any more power outlet started to damage his human body.

Ichigo gaze hardened. Gin was still gloating, completely underestimating Ichigo. Ichigo only had one shot to end this quickly or he'd have to risk leaving his body –not an appealing option; in this school someone more likely to eat his unbreathing body than call an ambulance.

Gin finally made his move – speeding straight toward Ichigo with the beginnings of a nasty right hook. Ichigo, however, stood calmly, before sinking into a position most would recognize, but Gin had no idea to be wary of.

"Getsuga …Tensho." Were the last words Gin heard before he was caught in a blast bright blue light, consuming his and throwing him several meters into the forest that consistently surrounded Youkai Academy.

Ichigo calmly used Bringer Light to appear next to the fallen Gin, completely ignoring the commotion that had been stirred up in reaction to his attack.

Gin blinked blearily up at Ichigo, and he returned the gaze evenly.

"Look, Gin. We both know you aren't at your full powers when you cornered me. That means you're probably thinking of confronting me again during the Full Moon. I have only one word of advice for you – don't. You may not of been at full strength, but neither am I. I can, and _will_become _a lot_ stronger should you decide to try again. I don't care that you want to pursue Moka – I _do_ care that you don't seem to care what she thinks about that."

Gin blinked at Ichigo, as Ichigo leveled a deeply serious gaze onto him.

"I know werewolves can't control themselves during the week of the Full Moon, but that doesn't give you permission to attack others – especially women like you have been. So stop what you've been doing and approach Moka when you're sane and we won't have any problems, capiche?"

Gin nodded his head in acceptance, and as Ichigo reached down to help Gin to the Nurse's, Ichigo was suddenly assaulted by – what else?- Kurumu's breasts.

"Yahoo! That's so manly Ichigo! Just what I'd expect from my Destined One –you handled everything so amazingly!"

As Kurumu babbled on, unaware she was putting a large strain on Ichigo's neck – which is where she had grabbed him from behind for her impromptu hug.

Gin stared in equal parts envy and pain –Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho had done quite a number on him, after all.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

It was then next day, and Tsukune had walked into a scene of madness.

Kurumu and Moka were standing across from each other; Kurumu clearly gloating over something that was clearly hitting it's mark with Moka; she had clenched her hands and was looking ready to either burst out screaming or crying.

After a few minutes of listening (Tsukune deciding, wisely, not to announce his presence) Tsukune was able to conclude that Gin had apparently confronted Ichigo yesterday – and Kurumu having caught a glimpse of Ichigo before they had stared, had been able to trial them and see the whole thing, while Moka had, obviously, not been able to. Kurumu was now using this to exaggerate things exponently – saying she had been allowed to patch up Ichigo and dress his wounds.

Kurumu had said a lot of other things, but Tsukune had wisely decided not to listen to her claims – if Ichigo had really fought Gin Tsukune doubted, after how easily he'd thrown him through window that Ichigo had injured at all during the fight. Thus Kurumu was likely lying through her teeth to get a rise out of Moka. Tsukune sighed quietly, careful not to direct attention to him. Sometimes he wondered how Kurumu and Moka were able to pretend they liked each other in front of Ichigo – and how Ichigo bought the farce.

Speaking of which, no sooner that Moka had screamed at Kurumu that she was lying did Ichigo finally arrive, and Kurumu wasted no time in latching onto his arm, and asking Ichigo if she really looked like a lair – to Ichigo's confusion.

Moka growled, and made to push Kurumu off of Ichigo, only to succeed in pushing her into the wall.

"Woah! What's going on here?" Ichigo asked, still completely clueless, only for Moka to clench his arm tightly, effectively recapturing his attention.

"And I told you he's mine, Kurumu!" Was Ichigo heard before Moka quite sternly latched onto his neck.

"Kapuchuu!"

"Dammit woman! I told you stop that!"

Kurumu pealed herself out of the wall, and began to (unsuccessfully) try and pry Moka off Ichigo.

"I said he's mine, Akashiya!"

"Stop pulling on me both of you!"

Tsukune sighed. Just another regular day at Youkai Academy.


	6. Yukari

School Daze

**By Raindrops 28**

"Normal Speech"

_"Thoughts"_

**"Zangetsu"**

**"Hollow Ichigo"**

**Chapter 5: Yukari**

Ichigo stared up at the list of names. Midterm results had come out, and behind him, shying away from the crowd; Moka and Tsukune were also trying to see where they had been placed. Tsukune had ended up squarely in the middle of the class at number 128, and Ichigo was slightly surprised to see Moka had ended up at number 13.

With the way Moka acted so naively sometimes, Ichigo was surprised she was so book smart. Of course, Inoue was much the same, Ichigo could sometimes see a shadow of Inoue in Moka whenever she was particularly cheerful, which would probably explain why Ichigo had settled in so quickly to being Moka's friend. Otherwise though, Ichigo thought there were few similarities between them – like their taste in food, thankfully.

Ichigo paused. Wait a minute. Moka favorite thing to 'eat' was Ichigo's blood, so…

As Ichigo stared into space, horrified at the thought of Inoue and Moka meeting up and collaborating on particularly strange food buffets, Moka had found Ichigo's place in the rankings, and could not hold back her surprise.

"Wow! Ichigo, you scored in at 10th place!" Behind her, Tsukune blinked back his surprise too; Ichigo did not seem like one who'd put a lot effort into studying, like Kurumu.

Ichigo blinked, startled out of his imagination, and looked at the board in conformation.

"Huh. Wada you know, I did."

When Ichigo continued to stare blankly at the board (he was still traumatized at the thought of Inoue's cooking, but they didn't know that) Tsukune decided to speak up.

"Moka-san scored 13th and Ichigo-san scored 10th, but I didn't do nearly as well, maybe we should study together sometime?"

Moka smiled and immediately agreed, and taking in Ichigo's expression to mean he'd not expected to do well at all, said it'd be a good idea so Ichigo wouldn't lose his high ranking.

Ichigo twitched, taking a slight offense to this.

"It's not that. It's just I already went through freshman year of high school at a human school, and had good grades there, but Youkai academy takes things slower than they did. I just already knew most of this stuff."

Tsukune and Moka blinked, surprised at the admission that Ichigo was repeating a year, but before they could respond they overheard a girl give out a yelp, and turned to see a much larger man looming over a small girl.

"And what's the big idea with this outfit?" The looming man was wearing a badge that identified him as the class representative. "It completely defies the school rules. I despise people who stick out!"

"Kya! Pl… Please stop thaaat!"

Ichigo frowned, narrowing his eyes as the blantive bullying progressed, feeling Moka stiffen and anger behind him. He hated bullies. Especially bullies that picked on kids years younger than them.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed further when he felt a strange shift in the air before a rock came flying at the representative, surprising Ichigo, who considered it a rather appropriate payback. When the class representative moved to attack the girl however, Ichigo moved to intercept it, or at least begin to, Moka, surprisingly, beat him to the punch. Ichigo surmised she'd been more affected by the display than he thought.

"Stop!" Moka yelled, putting herself in-between the girl and the representative. "I'm sorry I don't have anything to do with this, but I can't let this go… please stop using violence towards girls!"

The girl's eyes widened in surprise at the fact someone had interfered, and that it was none other than Moka, the girl whom she'd admired! She was actually _defending _her!

As the representative wavered, trying to decide his next course of action, Ichigo decided to make the decision even easier for him. Coming up behind him silently, Ichigo placed himself firmly behind the duo of girls, and gave the scumbag one of his best warning glares.

It worked like clockwork, of course. As the Representative staggered away, making some annoying clichéd excuse, Ichigo followed Moka, who was beginning to herd the girl somewhere else to recover.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"You know, actually I…I love you Moka-san!"

Ichigo stared in blank shock as the 11 year old (newly identified as one Yukari Sendo), for better lack of words, _jumped_ Moka, shamelessly rubbing her face into her breasts. Ichigo saw Tsukune freeze in shock as well out of the corner of his eyes.

"Every time I saw you in that classroom across the hall, I fell in love with you a bit more. But after you saved my life, my heart was made up!" Yukari rambled on without restraint. "Please go out with me! Is that so bad, dating someone like me?"

"Err… umm, as a friend… I gue—"

"Yaaay! I'm so happy!"

Now normally, when someone was taking advantage of one of his friends and blantedly molesting them like this, Ichigo would've thrown them out the nearest window. This however was a girl, and Ichigo could barely bring himself to fight women in a real battle situation; it was completely beyond his abilities to harm one that was as old as his little sisters.

Frowning, Ichigo completely ignored the now speechless with shock Tsukune, and stares closer at Moka. Moka, noticing his gaze silently shook her head in a way that would've been unnoticeable to anyone else.

Ichigo sighed. Clearly Moka didn't want him to interfere yet. He didn't know exactly why, but he had a feeling she was over identifying with Yukari. He'd have to put up with her until Moka got tired of her ministrations or got rid of her.

XXXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Ten minutes later, Tsukune was cringing at every sound Moka made, and Ichigo was deeply considering using the Tatsuki method of approach for these sorts of situations – a roundhouse kick to the face.

Ichigo, however, had glanced back at Moka (the only time he'd been able to during the entire situation) and had received yet another shake of the head. Ichigo didn't know how she was putting up with this, and wished she'd **stop** soon. Out of touch with his libido or not, Ichigo's hormones could only take so much more of this.

Since drop-kicking the disturbance was (unfortunately) not an option this time, Ichigo instead settled for glaring at anyone and everyone who had paused to watch the scene Yukari was making by fondling Moka's breasts.

Tsukune, caught in the middle could only process one thought. _Ichigo-san's evil eye is amazing as always._ And it truly was. Despite the many glances (and the fact that Ichigo was blushing more than Tsukune was), one look at Ichigo had sent several students running in fear of their lives, and none had dared to come closer than ten feet away from their group.

When Moka and Yukari, however, suddenly fell onto the floor in a rather…interesting position, Tsukune's patience with the situation finally broke (really why hadn't Ichigo-san done more than glare yet – he certainly had when Gin had just peeked!).

"All right, what's this all about?!"

Yukari froze, before standing up angrily.

"Please don't get in our way! I know all about you! Tsukune Aono: Grades: Average. Athletic abilities: average. Special talents: hah! You're a walking explosion on mediocrity!"

As Ichigo stared in bewilderment (though happy Moka and Yukari had finally _stopped_) Yukari turned righteously to Ichigo.

"And you! Ichigo Kurosaki! You may have good grades but you constantly get into fights and aren't very nice at all! Moka-san shouldn't have to be around a brute like you! I love Moka-san! So I don't want my beautiful Moka-san to be brought down into the dirt by someone like you." Yukari paused looking over with a blush at said crush, before turning back at Tsukune and Ichigo with determination. "That's why I'm declaring war on you with my magical wand! I'll make sure you never come close to Moka-san ever again!" Yukari finished with a flourish, waving her wand (? that's what she'd called it anyway…but Tsukune wasn't really buying it yet.)

The strange movement of reishi particles was the only warning Ichigo got before a dozen or so miscellaneous cleaning supplies flew out of the closest and began attacking the both of them.

Ichigo _felt_ his veins throbbing. Gritting his teeth, he didn't bother blocking any of the projectiles, (unlike Tsukune, who was running around like a chicken with its head cut off) and instead repeated to himself: _Must not punch the little brat…must not punch the little brat…_several times before he managed to grind out a sentence.

"And what…is this supposed to be…?"

"It's magic!" Yukari exclaimed, "I used magic with this magical wand in order to control the brooms! Cuz I'm a witch and I'll fight off any boys that get close to Moka-san!" She declared, completely unaware of how close Ichigo was to snapping.

Ichigo could put up with annoying children. He'd practically raised his sisters growing up, and Yuzu had been a very whiny toddler. This however was pushing his limits, as upon realizing the brooms were not doing the trick, Yukari had done that weird shift in reishi and a washtub – a washtub! – had landed squarely on his head with an annoyingly amount of force.

Fully annoyed now, Ichigo began to reach up and just break all of the damn annoying objects before Zangetsu, uncharacteristically, spoke up.

"You do not need to physically break them, Ichigo. The 'magic' Yukari is using is similar in structure to kido spells. And like any kido, releasing enough reiatsu will destabilize the spells at the structural level, and completely negate them."

Ichigo blinked. "_Like Kenpachi and how his reiatsu can stop people from cutting him?"_

"Yes."

Ichigo cracked his neck. That was all the explanation he needed, and made things much simpler. Staring at Yukari to make sure she realized how deeply this annoying him, Ichigo let loose a blast of reiatsu everyone around him felt, and caused the miscellaneous objects too suddenly shudder and fall; only Ichigo able to feel the abrupt shattering of reiatsu that had surrounded and manipulated them.

As Tsukune (also freed from his tormentors) and Moka stared at Ichigo with shock, Yukari, taking in Ichigo's fierce expression and relating it to the many other times her elder classmates had tried to attack her, lifted her wand to try and stave off the attack she thought for sure was coming.

When the anvil came crashing down out of nowhere, Ichigo decided he was perfectly entitled to lose his temper, and grabbed it from midair, before smashing it into the ground with enough force to crack both it and the tiles.

Yukari let loose a small "meep" and promptly hide behind Moka, while Tsukune squeaked and tumbled backwards form the scene.

Ichigo straightened, leveling Moka with a tense look, before speaking.

"Moka, I need to go for a walk." Moka nodded and made a sound of appreciation that he did not attempt anything more in the back of her throat.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Ichigo had ended up running into Kurumu, who'd then promptly dragged him to the Nurse's office to bandage the few scratches the reiatsu-hardened brooms had managed to get in before their untimely demise. Now they were back at the clubroom, waiting for Moka (Tsukune, apparently had either opted to stay with her or decided he couldn't go through entire club session with Yukari. Gin wasn't even given a passing thought.) to arrive.

Ichigo ended up explaining what had happened, and only paid a small amount of attention to Kurumu's explanation of Witches – he already knew everything from the book geta-boushi gave him (and had passed onto Tsukune; Ichigo wondered if he'd finished the thing yet).

Outside, Yukari slipped under the window, sure she'd found the way to make her dear Moka never want to be close to Ichigo again – her Warawara-kun!

Back inside, Ichigo frowned when he felt the strange reiatsu he'd come to associate with Yukari's magic settle over him, stronger than before. Before he could figure out what this could mean, his hand suddenly shot up and grabbed Kurumu's breast – to her delight.

Ichigo, however, was not so happy. This – this brat had **dared** to try and take his body and force him to do something against his will. Well, that wasn't going to happen, Kurumu had tried and had a far better excuse for her actions, Yukari had nothing except for misplaced childish jealousy and selfishness. **This** Ichigo would not tolerate.

"Kurumu, I can't control my body, get away from me." Ichigo commanded in one of his harshest tones, to which Kurumu obliged, wilting slightly at the sudden seriousness of the situation.

Ichigo gritted his teeth as the reiatsu centered on his arm tried to force it to move – something that Ichigo would not be allowing to happen. This time not restraining himself, Ichigo released the full brunt of his reiatsu that his body could take, completely and utterly destroying the spell around him.

Outside, Yukari shrieked as her Warawara was suddenly shredded by the blast, only to look up and see Ichigo looming down above her from the window.

To make matters worse, Moka had just walked in with Tsukune behind her.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"Moka…I know why you're trying to help Yukari, but protecting her from this and letting her get away with such things isn't going to help – at all. You're just feeding her ego and spoiling her. If she doesn't learn about consequences for such things now, she's just going to get worse as she's older. She'll be one of the bullies you're trying to protect her from. Moka, what do you think any other youkai would've done to her for what she did to me? They wouldn't be as lenient as I am, and you know that."

Moka frowned, curling slightly into herself. She knew what Ichigo was saying was true – had Yukari tried to attack any other youkai with a Warawara and control them, they would've went straight for the kill, even her other self would've, furious that someone as low class as Yukari would try to control an S-class youkai.

Yukari had been abruptly dismissed from the room as soon as Ichigo had grabbed her and placed her in the room. Still frightened form the sheer power Ichigo had released when destroying her Warawara, Yukari had not protested the order.

Moka fidgeted uncomfortably.

"I…I know Ichigo, but…But I just can't give up on her!" she cried empathetically, wishing he'd understand why she _needed_ to do this.

Ichigo meet her gaze sternly, but perhaps a bit kinder than he'd been a moment before.

"Then why don't you tell her that? What you really feel and want to do, instead of indulging her fantasies?" He asked, his voice definitely softer, Ichigo having reverted to the tone he usually saved for comforting his sisters.

Moka looked up, shocked, before smiling and nodding in determination.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Yukari was in deep trouble, this she knew for certain. Almost immediately after running out of the classroom she'd ran (literally) into the class Representative, and know he and his friends were planning on eating her.

And if things kept going the way they were now, they'd get their wish – the lizard men had already snapped her wand. She was defenseless.

As the Representative-turned-lizard-man opened his jaws to devour her Yukari closed her eyes and wished she had someone who'd care enough to try and save her.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Ichigo watched calmly as Moka arrived just in time to prevent Yukari form being devoured, with Kurumu and Tsukune trailing behind him slightly. They were to provide support…if it was needed; which it probably wasn't, if the way Ichigo was looking at the lizard men was any indication of what he was planning on doing once Moka had finished her speech.

Speaking of which it seemed that Moka had finished, if the lizard that was the Representative had anything to say about it. Which he apparently thought he did, and was why he reaching out to attack Yukari, who'd just bitten him.

He was promptly stopped by Ichigo, who in a single flash of Bringer Light, had not only grabbed Yukari out of his reach, but had also sent a flying kick that landed squarely on the lizard man's face.

"I-Ichigo?!" Yukari yelled, shocked not only at his sudden appearance but his actions. Why would he save her? "Why?" she asked, deciding to voice her question. "Why are you here?"

"Hmm?" Ichigo hummed, completely unconcerned that he was surrounded by no less than six grotesque looking lizard men. "Well…let's just say I – _we _- agree with Moka and leave it at that, huh?"

Yukari blinked, before spotting the people who Ichigo had nodded at. It was Kurumu and Tsukune, who both smiled at her.

"QUITE IGNORING ME YOU PIECES OF TR—" the leader of the lizard men never got to finish his sentence, his mouth suddenly blocked by Ichigo's foot, sending him flying.

Yukari could only stare in shock as Ichigo made quick work of the entire herd of lizard men, not even needing more than thirty seconds for each of them before the lizards were sent pummeling to the ground and into unconsciousness. Kurumu was happily cheering Ichigo on, though he clearly didn't need it.

But why? Why were they all okay about what she'd done?

Tsukune seemed to sense her unasked question, and smiled at her.

"Aren't we all friends now, Yukari-chan? Friends help each other out, ya know."

Yukari blinked stupidly (she seemed to be doing that a lot today) but Ichigo, having finished his impromptu beat down session (and enjoying more than he probably should of while at it) turned and smirked confidently at her.

Filled with such an unfamiliar warmth, Yukari did the only thing she could think of. She started crying, loudly. With all the snuffling and deep chested wails her small frame could produce.

And thorough it all was a strong, warm hand, soothingly patting her back.

"There, there…it's alright to cry sometimes…everything's okay now, Yukari. You're not in danger anymore…"

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"I heard she apologized in front of her whole class for playing pranks all the time!" Kurumu smiled as they carried supplies for the club. "I think everyone felt kinda guilty too, about the way they treated her."

"That's great, Yukari-chan is really growing up!" Moka said as she opened the door. Both could only blink as they saw what was transpiring.

"Ichigo! I love you!" Yukari shouted gleefully, as she leapt into Ichigo's surprised arms.

"Yukari?!"

"Ah, salutations! I've just transferred to the News Paper club, how could I not, after all?!"

_How couldn't you've?! _Was the collective thought of all gathered.

"After all," Yukari continued, completely oblivious to the stares of disbelief. "I love Moka-san, but when Ichigo-san held me so tightly, I – how should put it? I felt the breathe of womanhood wash over me! And now I love him just as much!"

Ichigo stared in …well he just stared. _How did it turn out like this?_

"**Heh. Look on the bright side Kingy, you can use her as practice."**

The fuck? What was his hollow going on about now?

"**Face it Kingy, with the way you treat your sisters, you'll have given them a complex. This could help you prepare for that, huh?"**

_The hell I did!_

**"Ha! You still let them take baths with you! What do you think's going to happen?!"**

_That's just Yuzu! And I haven't taken any with them in months!_

**"Keep telling yourself that – we both know that's only because you've shinigami stuff to do."**

Ichigo twitched. He didn't know who to be angry with know. Yukari – who was now chatting about having a threesome with Moka, or Shiro and his perverted thoughts.

He had not given his sisters' a complex.

Right?

**A/N: Keep telling yourself that, Ichigo.**

**By the way, don't worry. THIS FIC WILL HAVE NO INSCEST. The hollow's just fucking with Ichigo.**


	7. Ishigami

**School Daze**

"Normal Speech"

_"Thoughts"_

**"Zangetsu"**

**"Hollow Ichigo"**

**Chapter 6: Ishigami**

Ichigo was staring out of the News Club's window. They were supposed to be cramming for their paper's deadline, but Ichigo was unable to focus.

It'd been over two months since he'd started school at Youkai Gakuen, and though Ichigo found little difference between his school life at Karakura and school life at Youkai Gakuen (regularly getting into fights with yakuza's and soul-eating monsters did that to you), Ichigo couldn't find it within himself to be calm. The reason for this was simple: there had been absolutely _no_ developments on Aizen's movements.

Every bi-weekly update to Soul Society via Toshiro's Soul Pager ended the same way – with Toshiro telling him there had been no discernable movements on Aizen's side; and that the Gotei 13 had made no headway in figuring out why, and how much of the lack of movement was connected to Ichigo.

Ichigo's brow furrowed as he remembered another piece of information that Toshiro had passed on. Since he left Karakura, almost all the hollow activity in Karakura had stopped. While Ichigo knew logically, that his reiatsu that constantly spilled out lured more hollows than an average town, for the hollow activity to pick up so exponentially since he became a Substitute Shinigami to suddenly stop after he left made little sense. Especially when one considered both the large amount of spiritually aware humans, exiled shinigami, and Aizen's rulership over Hueco Mundo. Taking in the knowledge that Aizen was apparently very concerned with Ichigo's development, Toshiro had concluded that without Ichigo there, Aizen had actually ordered hollows to stop going to Karakura, which did not help Ichigo's nerves _at all_.

Tsukune looked up from his work, and noticing Ichigo's far away look, tried, and failed to get his attention.

Ichigo clenched his fist. He felt as if he was missing a large, obvious piece of the puzzle that would explain why the Winter War had suddenly stalled at his leaving.

"Ichigo-san? We need to be working…are you okay?"

Ichigo felt his jaw clench in worry. He hadn't expected to last more than a month before he was called back to the front lines, and the inactivity was grating on his already frayed nerves.

Gin, having made a rare appearance at the club, noticed Ichigo's unresponsiveness.

Ichigo hated being separated form the main action, not being able to help in any way, nor know first hand how his friends and family were really handling everything.

Gin began walking sneakily towards Ichigo.

If only Ichigo knew why he was so important to Aizen's plans, the moment he left should've been the perfect moment to attack…if only he knew what to expect, what to plan for…

Gin made his presence known very abruptly, slamming the back of Ichigo's head with a paddle.

"Earth to Ichigo! We have a newspaper to publish!"

Ichigo frowned, having clutched the back of his head in reflex, before snorting and looking down, at well, whatever it was he was supposed to be reviewing for the paper, promptly ignoring Gin's subsequent flirting with Moka – Gin knew very well have far he was allowed to go with his 'flirting' after meeting Ichigo.

Gin, of course couldn't keep his knack for trouble to himself, soon sending the entire club into an uproar, which completely defeated the purpose of cramming, by the way.

As Yukari and Kurumu fought over who could hug Ichigo (he wasn't in the mood right now, thank you very much for asking his opinion first), Ichigo could only wonder how they were able to say such sappy stuff so easily…

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

The rest of the day was uneventful, except for the part where he learned that Moka was modeling for the art teacher for the next week. It seemed a little odd for Moka to something like that, but Ichigo wasn't the type to pry and hadn't asked further.

The next day, however was more interesting, with Gin being serious (for once) over the disappearance of several girls at the Academy. After learning, however, that Gin was more interested in impressing Moka, Ichigo felt his level of respect go back down to normal levels for the werewolf.

While nothing else was accomplished during the meeting, Ichigo did decide to try and gather what he could about the girls, even though subtlety and remembering faces/names wasn't his strong suit.

While walking to his next class (art, coincidently) he did see Moka meeting with the art teacher, thus proving she was actually going to be modeling for the next week.

Ichigo spent the rest of the walk trying not to think if she really was going to be modeling nude (a thought curtsey of Tsukune, who was walking with him). This was not easily accomplished however, as Shiro, who, bored decided to torment Ichigo with mental images and remarks for the entire walk.

It was further complicated by the fact Shiro seemed convinced the art teacher, one Ishigami-sensei, was a lesbian after she had looked at Moka with a rather large amount of heat and slight hunger underneath her smile.

Ichigo just coughed and tried not to think.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"Well, in art class today, you'll be painting pictures continuing with last week's theme of 'what's important to you! And just what is important to you is the art in each and every one of your hearts. Feel free to paint whatever you want."

Well, that didn't sound too bad, Ichigo thought as he settled into his seat after Ishigami had announced that week's project.

Ichigo was just about to get to work, when the window next to him opened suddenly, an eager girl jumping through and calling out to Ishigami.

"Sensei! I'm skipping gym class to have fun with you!"

"Oh? Isn't that nice."

"**Defiantly a lesbian"**Shiro spoke up, spying the gaggle of girls surrounding Ishigami.

Ichigo coughed again, suppressing the blush he knew was beginning to spread across his face, and tried to ignore his hollow.

**"Ya sure you wanna do that King? Ishigami over there's gonna be spendin' a lot of alone time with our little Moka over there…"**

Ichigo frowned; looking up to more closely analyze Ishigami's face and reiatsu. There wasn't anything threatening right now, but his hollow didn't point out things frivolously.

Deciding to pay close attention to the flow of Moka's reitasu for the next week, Ichigo focused back on his school work. War or not, he still needed to get good grades if he ever wanted to get a good job after High School.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

The only question now was what to paint?

Looking at his blank sheet of paper, Ichigo tried to think of something important to him that he wouldn't care about showing to a teacher he may or may not need to beat up by the end of the week.

That thought alone automatically disqualified anything relating to his sisters (Ichigo didn't care that Karin was going through Fullbring training, until both of them could cut down an adjuchas easily, he wasn't going to stop being over protective of them), and lowered his options further.

Anything intimate and private was out too. Ichigo had always been an intensively private person, keeping his problems and personal life to himself, and that wasn't going to change soon.

So what to draw that wouldn't be private enough, but good enough to get a good grade?

Sighing, Ichigo decided his 'try to relax while I can' plan just wasn't going to work out, and put his pencil to the paper. He'd just draw what ever came to his mind, and screw the consequences.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Tsukune looked up from his abysmal paper to see how Ichigo was doing.

He could only stare in shock.

On the paper was a beautifully detailed woman in a black kimono, holding what appeared to be a decorated ceremonial sword, a ribbon circling around her in a sort of embrace.

The woman appeared young, though, maybe even younger than Ichigo himself, with black mid length hair, styled in a way Tsukune had never seen before, but carried with grace. The entire picture had a feel of grace, and the unknown woman's eyes were unexpectedly heavy and piercing for someone so young.

Transfixed by the picture, it took several moments for Tsukune to look up and notice Ichigo's mood.

Tsukune had noticed yesterday that Ichigo seemed to be in a very tense and bad mood, which hadn't calmed by the next day, but Ichigo seemed like a completely different person now.

Ichigo was looking down at the picture with a heavy sort of calm, but also seemed both completely relaxed and focused at the same time.

What Tsukune noticed the most though, was the way Ichigo was looking at the woman. It was, warm, as is he was intimately acquainted with her, yet pained, as if he had not been able to see her for a long, long time.

Looking in amazement at him, Tsukune could only wonder who the woman on the paper was to Ichigo, to get such a reaction form him.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Ichigo had ended up drawing the first time he'd seen Rukia releasing Sode no Shirayuki, and found it surprisingly relaxing. It'd brought up a lot of good memories and while drawing he could only focus on the thought of what Rukia would do to his if he drew both her and her sword badly; successfully blocking out any of the worrying thoughts he'd been having for the past few days.

XXXTHISIAPAGEBREAKXXX

"Ichigo-san, your drawing was really good!"

"Huh?" Ichigo glanced down at Tsukune, trying to think about what he could be referencing. "Oh…You saw that?"

Moka, beside him, glanced up from her own drawing pad.

"Oh? I didn't get the chance to look at it. Can I see too?"

Ichigo turned towards her, pausing, before reaching down into his bag and handing her the sketch.

Moka's eyes widened taking in the woman and the obvious care Ichigo had taken in drawing her.

"Who…who is this Ichigo?" Moka asked, only Tsukune picking up the slight traces of jealousy in her voice.

"A very good friend." Ichigo said simply, not knowing how to phrase it better.

Ichigo, oblivious to Moka's irritation at the vague statement, took back the sketchpad; also missing Tsukune flinch at Moka's twitching brow.

Whatever Moka would've said next was delayed, as when Ichigo turned the corner, he quire literally, ran into Kurumu, who wasted no time in embracing her destined one, to Moka's annoyance.

It only got worse however, when Ichigo did not immediately brush her off like he usually did, but seemed to've accepted he couldn't get Kurumu to stop her displays of affection, and had now decided to just ignore them the best he could instead of pulling her off.

As Moka stomped off after announcing that she needed to get to her modeling, Ichigo only gave a passing nod in acceptance, and seemed to be trying to understand whatever Kurumu was talking about.

Tsukune sighed. The week was not off to a good start.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

The next six days passed without much fanfare; Tsukune tried and failed several times to ask Moka to spend his birthday with him, the revelation that it was coming soon sending the other members of the club in a flurry of activity to arrange a party for him.

There were no developments on the missing girls, and Ichigo doubted they'd find anything the teachers hadn't, so he concentrated on other things.

Like the fact that there had still been no updates on Aizen, and it was driving Ichigo's nerves up the wall.

There was little he could do about it though, so Ichigo focused his energies on perfecting the painting or Rukia releasing her zanpakuto, and Ichigo was pleased on how well it was coming along.

Ishigami had looked at it several times, praising it, so Ichigo was confident he was going to get a good grade.

He hadn't spotted anything from Ishigami since to justify his hollow's warning yet, even if she did seem very passionate about art. But then again, that _was_ her job.

Ichigo should've known that a week couldn't pass in Youkai Academy without some sort of trouble catching up with him.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

When Ichigo felt a spike of reitasu peak in a way Ichigo had come to associate with an ayashi revealing it's true form; Ichigo could only wonder why that particular spike had caught his attention.

He, along with most of the News Club, were putting the finishing touches on the surprise birthday party for Tsukune, who'd just left to go and find Moka after her last modeling session.

Frowning, he focused in on the pulsating reiatsu, trying to find out what about it was drawing his attention to it.

It was coming…from the art room, where Tsukune and Moka were. Where Ishigami, who his hollow warned him about, was.

Straitening, Ichigo began cursing himself in his thoughts - he should've gone with Tsukune after all. Quickly mumbling that he needed to take care of something, Ichigo ran out of the room.

Yukari and Kurumu found it strange for Ichigo to leave so abruptly; Yukari especially since she'd foreseen a dreadful energy clinging to Tsukune and Moka recently. However, both knew Ichigo was more than capable of taking care of himself, and let the thought go easily.

After activating his Fullbring, it was easy for Ichigo to get to the Art room within seconds, just in time to see these weird snakes that were apparently growing from Ishigami's hair snap forward to attack Tsukune, who was reaching towards the bound Moka.

Ichigo managed to flash over to Tsukune quickly enough to take the blows from most of the snake/hair extensions, except for one, which had quickly bitten into Tsukune's wrist.

Tsukune made a strangled sound as Ichigo forcibly removed all the snakes form both himself and Tsukune, and looking down, Ichigo could see why.

While the snakes that bitten Ichigo had either had their teeth snapped as they bit into his hollow-bone armor or burnt as they encountered the mist of rieatsu seeping out form the armor, the same had not happened to Tsukune. In fact the area where he'd been bitten was quickly turning to stone.

Frowning, Ichigo's attention was caught by Moka, who screamed despite the snakes tight grip on her.

"Ichigo! It's Ishigami! She's the one who's been kidnapping all those girls! She's a medusa! She turns them to stone for her art!"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, setting Tsukune down gently, who had nodded in confirmation of Moka's words, and settled into a more battle ready stance as Ishigami turned her attention to him.

"Heh. It's true – I've turned the beauties of Youkai Gakuen into stone statues, their beauty reserved for eternity…I was just about to add Moka here to my collection when you arrived…little Tsukune-kun over there just didn't make the cut…I usually don't go for men you see…"

"Heh. I told you she was a lesbian."

Ignoring his hollow, Ichigo concentrated more on discovering Ishigami's weak points.

"However…" Ishigami continued her monologue, completely uncaring of Ichigo's stance, "with your power level… I suppose I could make an exception just this once Ichi-kun!"

Ichigo, in response to Ishigami's second wave of snakes, simply raised his sword. Ishigami was full of holes, but he didn't want to risk neither himself nor Moka being hit by her snakes again.

"Getsuga Tensho".

Ishigami screeched and wailed, cursing that Ichigo had not only destroyed her snakes but had hit her with the attack as well, the force of which slammed her into the wall and rendered her unconscious.

Moka now freed, joined him in lifting the shaking Tsukune to his feet, both thanking him for his timely intervention.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

The petrifaction soon lifted with the controller of the spell defeated, and Tsukune was still able to enjoy his birthday party, even though Gin promised tomorrow would be filled with effort towards publishing the incident and its resolution.

Ichigo just thought that Tsukune would be grateful for the excuse to have not used the strange items the others had gifted him for his birthday.

Moka, however seemed shocked.

"I-It's Tsukune's birthday?"

Upon receiving nods of confirmation Moka deflated.

"B-but the whole reason I was modeling…was because I thought it was Ichigo's birthday…Ishigami-sensei was helping me…"

"Huh? What could she help you with?"

Moka sighed, before revealing the painting she had brought with her to the party.

"I kept it a secret. The theme was "What matters most to you", right? Ichigo means so much to me…so Ishigami was giving me drawing lessons in exchange for modeling…but it was all for nothing…."

Defeated, Moka's legs gave out as she slumped to the floor, for once completely ignoring Kurumu's scathing jealous glare and Yukari's adoring one.

Ichigo blinked, unsure of what he should do.

"Well…it's a very nice painting…so I could accept it anyway…in advance, you know?"

As Moka brightened, Ichigo was suddenly assaulted by Kurumu, who began loudly declaring that she would gift Ichigo soothing much better for his birthday, with Yukari chiming in her own opinion that "Cow-tits" couldn't give something better than her precious Moka.

Tsukune was quickly forgotten, sending his own sympathic glance to Ichigo, who quickly faced Gin's rants of nonunderstanidng of why Ichigo was more popular than himself.

There really was no such thing as a peaceful week at Youkai Gakuen.


	8. Slugs

**School Daze**

"Normal Speech"

_"Thoughts"_

**"Zangetsu"**

**"Hollow Ichigo"**

**Chapter 7: Slugs**

"Aren't there any other seasons here?" Tsukune mused, looking out the window.

"Apparently not," Ichigo said dryly, not looking up from his paper. "Though it would be nice to see a blue sky, with no clouds."

"Yeah…" Tsukune trailed off, also thinking of the warm summer days that could be found in the human world. Even the weather of Youkai Academy was cut off from the Human world.

"Ichigo! Tsukune! Only two days until we print! We've gotta keep working!" Moka spoke up, noticing that Ichigo had barely done any work.

"Yeah, I'm getting on it." Ichigo said, having been startled out of his revive brought on by Tsukune's question. To be fair, the weather wasn't the only reason Ichigo was getting so little work done, and it wasn't because Ichigo hadn't been met to be a writer (his love of Shakespeare nonwithstanding).

He seemed to be getting more tired lately, and Ichigo noticed he fatigue seemed to peak after whenever Moka cornered him for another drink of his blood. Ichigo could never bring himself to refuse her, he was really the only way she could feed regularly –Tsukune wouldn't be able to keep up her appetite, and that was even if he would agree to it in the first place.

It was odd though, when Moka first started drinking his blood, he'd be fine right away – he'd certainly lost more blood fighting Espada, and the bite mark would heal right away (a bonus form his hollow, ever since he completed his Fullbring, his hollow's regenerative powers had been able to cross over to his human body, though in a diluted form). Lately however, he was tired for hours afterwards, and it took a day or two for the puncture wound to completely heal.

Ichigo knew he was stilled stressed and worried over the Winter War, and that feeling stress over a long periods of time could cause fatigue and ill-health; but Ichigo just didn't feel like that he was that worried over Aizen. If something happened Toshiro or Goat-Face would tell him immediately.

Something that was bugging him recently, however had nothing to do with Aizen. For the last few days was a presence that seemed to be following him around. It was rather surprising to Ichigo that he could track one small presence through the blazing energy that consistently made up Youkai Academy, especially since he didn't know who it belonged to; but the second time it appeared Ichigo examined it closer before trying to find it's location and discovered was down right freezing, reminding Ichigo of a blizzard, and strangely, Rukia. It wasn't threatening at all, mostly curious, and whenever Ichigo noticed it and looked in the direction he was sensing it always disappeared immediately, and Ichigo would be unable to find it again no matter how hard he looked until a random moment the next day. Overall, though it wasn't much of a problem.

That, however, left the question of why Moka's feedings were beginning to drain him more and more unanswered. It wasn't like she took increasing amounts of his blood after all; surprisingly, Ichigo knew that Moka actually took the same amount of blood each time, exactly.

Sighing, Ichigo realized he had drifted off again, and hadn't made any progress in his work. They were supposed to be putting the final touches on all the articles they were going to publish for the newspaper, so the next day could be spent getting the layout completed. The incident with Ishigami, however, had to be included now (at Gin's insistence) causing no end of trouble as the group scrambled to create an article about it before the deadline.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

A few minutes later, Nekonome-Sensei had arrived, bringing snacks (consisting entirely of raw fish) and checking up on their progress. She had also brought a letter sent to Kurumu, to her surprise.

Kurumu had first thought it was a love letter – she'd gotten too many of those in the past, but she'd made it pretty clear to her fans her change in personality after meeting Ichigo; so she hadn't gotten one in a while.

A quick look inside, however, quickly revealed that this was no love letter. Pictures abound in the envelope, but none of them were decent. Blantedly revealing her panties while sitting down, while bowing; all of them had clearly been taken before she meet Ichigo, she was more careful of who saw her body nowadays. She had taken Ichigo's words that her destined one would love her more for her personality than her looks seriously and deeply to heart.

What truly worried Kurumu was that several of the pictures had clearly not been taken with her permission. Undressing in the girl's locker room, in her dorm room…she'd never invited anyone into those places, let alone to take pictures.

Finally spying the letter that came with the pictures, Kurumu felt her heart beat even harder the further she read.

"What's up Kurumu-san?" Tsukune asked, taking note of her unusual silence.

"AHAHAHAHAH!" Kurumu laughed so nervously se was surprised it hadn't come out as a scream. She quickly got out of her desk, making her way towards the door. "I kinda just remembered I have to do something so I'll be taking off, ok!?"

"Ah -! But the deadline, Kurumu-chan!" Moka shouted, looking in shock at Kurumu's retreating back, her words going unheeded as Kurumu managed to shout one last sentence before she disappeared through the door.

"You'll be fine! I believe in you!"

Ichigo watched her go, not saying anything, but feeling a familiar sense of forbidding.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

When Kurumu arrived at the designated Monster tree, she didn't know what to expect, the only thought going through her head was that she needed to convince the writer of the letter to destroy the pictures and not spread them around. If those pictures got out they'd ruin her chances with Ichigo, he wouldn't believe she'd changed after all.

When she arrived at the tree, she found Nagare easily, and he was _very_ eager to explain himself, going into a long-winded explanation on how they had met, and how Kurumu had agreed to go on a date with him. Unfortunately for him, Kurumu had forgotten about him immediately, and even after hearing the story, Kurumu could honestly say she still didn't remember him.

_Kami-sama_ she had really been a bitch back then, and now she was reaping her punishment.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"Kurumu hasn't come back yet…" Tsukune spoke uncertainly, wary of the stifling aura that's engulfed the club since Kurumu's departure.

"Deadline ditchers are the scum of the earth." Yukari's dismal was quick and harsh.

A moment passed in silence before Moka decided to speak her thoughts on the situation.

"You know, I wonder what Kurumu-chan thinks of the newspaper club?" Moka began slowly, keeping a close eye on Ichigo, who had not reacted at all. "Kurumu-chan is here because she likes Ichigo, right? And she totally hated me from the beginning. I think that maybe she doesn't think of us as friends. That would explain why she took off when we're really busy and need her help." Moka finished firmly, sure in her thoughts and looking to see how they were taken.

Nobody seemed to _want_ to believe her, but reluctantly thinking that she had a possibility of being right. It was Tsukune who spoke up first.

"What are you talking about?! You've always been getting along well right? Look, I'm sure its just Kurumu-san had something important to do today so that's all it is, right?" Tsukune tried to be upbeat about it, but even he seemed to be crushed the doubt held by the others over Kurumu's motives.

In the silence that followed, Ichigo finally spoke up, speaking firmly.

"I…don't think Kurumu is abandoning any of us." Ichigo paused making sure to catch Moka eyes before continuing. "Kurumu's changed a lot since we first met her. We're all friends right? Friends should have more faith in each other." Ichigo remember learning this harshly, he could still remember the sting of Rukia and Renji's punches, and their distant, hurt faces when he did not wait for them before leaving to Hueco Mundo.

Moka scooted back into her chair, looking as if she'd just been slapped, and with Ichigo no longer looking at her, he was not able to see the blant embarrassment and anger. Everyone else was able to see the jealously simmering beneath the surface, Moka clearly thinking that, with the recent lack of protests of Kurumu's breast-hugs coupled with this recent defense of her; despite having no knowledge of what she was doing, that Kurumu was beginning to win the war over Ichigo's heart.

The situation may have been less volatile if Moka knew this one-minute defense of Kurumu's actions was only the tip of the iceberg of how far Ichigo was willing to go for his friends.

Ichigo, meanwhile was lost in his thoughts. He hadn't lied at all in his statement, yet thinking of Rukia in Hueco Mundo made him think of the consequences of agreeing to split up as an apology for underestimating them. All of his friends had nearly died by splitting up, and he was consumed with worry that he was wrong again, that Kurumu, like Rukia, would not be able to fight off the foe that confronted her.

"**Take your own advice, Ichigo." **Zangetsu spoke up, his deep voice rumbling calmly. **"In Hueco Mundo all of your friends came knowing that they could easily die attempting Inoue's rescue. It was their decision. This school, while violent, is not at war. If Kurumu were truly in danger she would come to her friends for help. She has changed greatly since your first meeting, and is no longer isolated from being able trust others with her problems".**

Ichigo closed his eyes and released a deep breath. Zangetsu-no-ossan was right. Time to take his own advice and trust in others.

Kurumu was a succubus, she was probably long used to fighting off the more violent males in Youkai Gakuen. She could take care of herself.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Kurumu rushed back to the clubroom. That man, Nagare had been awful. Pin-up photography was not a date, and certainly not when it was as suggestive as Nagare made her dress up for. She'd managed to escape after more than an hour, but now she didn't know what to do.

Everyone was sure to be mad with her; she didn't have a good excuse for her actions. Skipping out days before the deadline for a date? Ichigo would hate her for being so selfish. And wasn't like she could tell the truth either; that would defeat the entire purpose of being Nagare's dress up doll for the past hour in the first place.

Resigning herself to her fate, Kurumu opened the door to the News Club. Tsukune and Moka were packed up, clearly getting ready to leave, while Yukari was halfway to the door. Ichigo was nowhere to be found. Tsukune was the only one who spotted her that decided to speak with her.

"Oh, you're back, Kurumu-san. Ichigo-san got really tired and left early, so we just decided to call it a day and finish up tomorrow. You might as well not stay either."

As everyone left leaving her the only one in the room, Kurumu could only despondently flop into a chair and rummage through the work laid out, trying to find something she could work on as an apology.

And of course, Nagare had to show up, demanding another date for his silence. Kurumu couldn't take it anymore, and blew up, running away from him and the disaster that was becoming her reputation with her friends.

The next day, Kurumu would realize how much of a mistake that was, but for now, she just couldn't be in his disgusting presence any longer.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"Ieee! The layout we made yesterday – it's gone!"

"All my data's been erased! Event the back-up files! And someone opened my dairy too!"

As the others scrambled to find ways to recreate the day before work quickly, Kurumu could only stare. Slime on the keyboard…the layout she had fiddled with before fleeing form Nagare…She began shaking, knowing the only possible motive behind the thefts.

"We don't have a choice!" Gin shouted, unusually serious and concerted. " There's no time to try and hunt down who stole it, we'll just have to redo it! We'll have to cut down on the number of pages, but we'll make up for it next issue!"

Shaking, Kurumu gathered her courage to go through with her idea and spoke up as best she could.

"Umm guys…I know this is a really bad time, but I can't stay to work today…"

As Kurumu trailed off, unable to bring herself to see Ichigo's expression, Moka could no longer hold off her fury.

"Kurumu-chan?! What's wrong with you?! How can you bail out on us at a time like this?! Don't you think about anyone except for yourself?!"

Ichigo was frowning, and had reached up to grasp Moka's should in an effort to calm her. While Moka would've usually rejoiced in that Ichigo was touching her of his own violation, now it only mad her angrier. How could he still defend her? Did he really care more about Kurumu than her?

Slapping Ichigo's hand away, Moka turned to face Kurumu's shaking figure once more.

"I'm disappointed in you! I thought you really had changed! But apparently I was wrong! If you leave…If you leave this club now when we need you, then don't come back!"

Kurumu, however, had steeled her resolve. She didn't care what they thought right now. Nagare had crossed the line. Breaking up her friends like this, putting Ichigo in such a bad position with Moka when he was trying to defend her…

Nagare would _pay_. She'd make sure of it.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Moka stood still after her last shout had escorted Kurumu out of the door, and everyone else in the club seemed frozen, not moving or speaking up. Suddenly however Ichigo moved towards the door.

"I-Ichigo…? W-where are you going?!" Moka asked.

"I'm going to look for Kurumu." Ichigo said flatly, not even looking at Moka.

"W-why?! If you go too, we'll never finish the paper in time! Please! We have to focus on-" Moka was cut off as Ichigo spoke again, oddly quiet and serious.

"Focus on what? The newspaper? Get your head out of your ass Moka. The way you talk is as if you've completely given up on Kurumu. You have, haven't you? Without even knowing the reason Kurumu decided she couldn't stay, without even knowing what she's going through, you've decided to completely give up on her. I'm not going to. I'm going to find her, and I'm going to make sure she's okay. You can stay here, if that's what you're deciding to do."

With that final sentence, Ichigo opened the door in front of him, intending to step out, but turning to take one last look at Moka before he left.

Moka was shaking; she couldn't understand why Ichigo was still going after Kurumu in such a situation. Did he really care about her that much?!

"I'm going too." It was Tsukune who unexpectedly spoke up. With everyone now focusing on him, he steeled himself and spoke again. "I…want to go search for Kurumu-san too.

Moka looked at Tsukune in shock, and Gin leveled an unusually serious look at him before adding his two cents in.

"So. You two aren't committed to this club, is that it?"

"On the contrary." Tsukune said, gaining confidence. "I _am_ committed to this club. Which is why…I don't think it's complete if one of us is missing."

As Moka and Gin's eyes widened in surprise, Ichigo sent Tsukune an approving smirk. Tsukune smiled back, before continuing his thought.

"Plus, I agree with Ichigo, I think that Kurumu is in some sort of trouble…"

Tsukune was interrupted by Yukari who suddenly charged into the room, nearly running into Ichigo in the process.

"This is hideous! I was looking for clues to who stole the drafts and look what I found in the tool box!"

Eyes widened as they took in the letter addressed to Kurumu.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Kurumu screamed as Nagare's monster formed slammed her into the school wall, groping her breast as he did so. Though she managed to smack the slimly tentacle like thing that Nagare's arm had turned into, she felt her legs give out form underneath her immediately afterwards.

Looking up at Nagare's transforming self, however she saw the answer.

"Gas! He's emitting some sort of poison gas!"

Tumbling into a storage closet to get away form the gas was only a temporary measure, but it would prevent her form becoming paralyzed as quickly than if she stayed.

Cursing, Kurumu thought that this is not what she expected to happen when she confronted Nagare, furious tears burning her eyes. Forcibly calming herself, Kurumu tried to think of a way to end this fight quickly, her eye caught a movement underneath the door.

" He he. So cute – hiding in the storage shed. She _wants_ to be caught!"

It was Nagare, or at least his eye, and it was seeping through the crack underneath the door, twisting and forming until Nagare's entire body slipped through, leaving Kurumu stunned at the grotesque figure that Nagare had become.

"Wh-what's happened to you?!" Kurumu screamed, inching backwards as Nagare laughed.

"Don't you know? Slugs can slip through the narrowest crack! I'm a slug monster. That's how I can sneak into girls rooms to learn their secrets!"

"That's disgusting! How many girls have you spied on?!" Kurumu asked, feeling bile rise up in her throat.

"I don't keep count…but out of all of them…you're definitely the best catch! We're going to take a lot of sexy pictures today!"

"I…can't move!" Kurumu thought, desperate to get away from Nagare's out reaching hand but unwilling to leave before she got back the draft that everyone had worked so hard to finish.

Kurumu was saved from the choice, though, when the door to the storage shed was kicked open with a brutal amount of force, the unknown figure responsible for the break nothing more than a blur; not stopping at the door but continuing on until it reached Nagare and hitting him with enough force to send him crashing into the opposite wall, successfully separating him form Kurumu.

The figure stilled, and Kurumu was able to too it had been Ichigo, anger blazing on his face, with Moka and Tsukune only a few feet away and worried.

"Kurumu-chan!" Moka shouted, intending to say more but prevented from doing so by Nagare, whose soft body had cushioned him against Ichigo's blow and had thus been able to recover quickly.

"Hehehehe…so this is Ichi-kun hmmm? Sorry to say but that sort of attack won't work on me…and that was your last chance to get close to me!" Nagare shouted triuphmidly, jutting out several more spine-like protrusions and hurled gas at all three of them.

Ichigo stared in confusion for a second, and that was all the time Nagare's poison needed to work. Feeling his legs suddenly give out from under him, Ichigo was barely able to note that both Moka and Kurumu had collapsed as well before Nagare made his way towards Moka, laughing all the while.

"My lucky day! The next one on my list was Moka!"

Behind him, Ichigo cursed his weak and paralyzed body. He couldn't let this guy hurt his friends anymore than he already had – he'd gotten to Kurumu and he wasn't going to let this guy get to Moka as well.

"**Calm yourself Ichigo. The hollow ahs already stared on burning the poison out of your system." **Zangetsu said in his usual rumbling tone, but this time it did little to assure Ichigo. He needed to be able to move now!

"Did you not decide to trust in your friends, Ichigo? Kurumu is capable of handling this fight on her own. If you defend everyone, they will never grow. They have to learn how to fight their own battles as well."

Ichigo knew that Zangetsu was right, but that didn't stop him from worrying. Almost as if ossan's words had been a promotion though, the ground began shaking, a dark aura forming and encompassing Kurumu as she slowly struggled to her feet.

"Don't…don't you dare…DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH THEM!"

Wings sprouted from her back, ripping through her shirt and her fingers transformed to foot-long claws. Slowly, she lifted up her head and looked into the slug's eyes, shocking and horrifying it at the same time. Kurumu's pupils had disappeared. Instead blue rings pulsed outward from her eye where her pupil should've been and swept across the land.

A moment passed before moans were heard from all around as trees began screeching and swaying. Then, tree roots sprung from the ground and waved about in frenzy.

"What's going on! The tree roots are attacking!" Nagare shouted as he tried dodging the roots in vain. Before long, he had been wrapped up and could not escape.

"I'll never forgive you…" Kurumu hissed menacingly. "I'll never forgive you if you lay a hand on them!"

Using every inch of rage she felt, Kurumu forced her body to move towards the bound Nagare. Succeeding, Kurumu dived towards Nagare, releasing the full length of her claws and shredding the slug's stomach. It was deep, but he'd survive.

Collapsing, the illusion of the roots disappeared, shocking everyone, before Kurumu clumsily grabbed the forgotten draft and presented it happily to Moka.

"I…I got it back! Moka…I …I'm sorry I had to leave everyone hanging but…"

Moka smiled before shaking her head.

"No…I'm the one that's sorry. I judged you when I didn't even know you were being blackmailed…Yukari found the letter…and Ichigo and Tsukune didn't doubt you for a moment…you leaving tore us apart Kurumu-chan…we _do_ need you…so, I'm really sorry, okay?"

Kurumu smiled, easily accepting her apology. Ichigo smiled before placing his hand on Kurumu's head. Blinking, Kurumu looked up at him.

"I'm really proud of you, you know Kurumu? You tried to do the right thing no matter how much it hurt. You've really come a long way."

Feeling like her heart was going to burst from joy, Kurumu beamed up at him.

Moka watched the scene critically. She was glad that Kurumu was all right and that Ichigo was happy, but…they were too close for Moka's taste.

For the first time in days, Moka's rosary glowed red, its center turning into a slitted eye before her inner-self spoke to her, its voice deadly serious.

"_I never expected that whelp of a succubus to have that much power within her…but she is foolish to believe she can lay some sort of claim on Ichigo. He belongs to US. He is powerful; powerful enough that he could stand by us. Kurono is not. The weak belong with the weak and the strong with the strong. Ichigo has already accepted our mark, our claim, every time he allows our fangs to pierce his neck. Do __**not**__allow him to forget where he belongs…"_

Moka nodded, still staring at the two (who were now being joined by Tsukune), an unknown emotion bubbling over within her.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXX

Gin smiled down at his sleeping kohais, all of them having collapsed in exhaustion after finally completing the ready to be printed July edition of the _Youkai Times_. His group of club mates was really something this year.

Gin frowned. Especially Ichigo. Gin had to admit, but he had surprised by him, repeatedly. When he had first potted the scowling, brightly colored teen, he hadn't thought much of him, even knowing that he was a subject of interest to Moka. Gin was and S-class youkai, a very powerful werewolf. There weren't many other youkai who could stand up to him, and that made it very hard for other to impress him.

San Otonashi had been one of the few who had breached his outer walls, and being rumored to be a vampire, another S-class youkai, was what had really drawn Gin to Moka in the first place.

And that had brought him into direct confrontation with Ichigo. Gin did not begrudge Ichigo's win against him. Gin had been stupid and overconfident, the looming full moon making him lose his finer concentration functions, and leaving him unable to sense the power that constantly leaked out of Ichigo's slim but muscled body. And boy, had that been a massive oversight. It had cost him the battle, but had left him unconscious for the rest of the full moon, ensuring that he wouldn't be able to do anything stupid for the rest of the day.

Gin sighed, rummaging his hand through his hand. He was really getting found of this year's news club. And that was the problem. Gin knew that Kuyo wouldn't stand for him rebuilding the club after he personally tore it down last year; and that was why Gin had fought Nekonome-sensei so hard against the idea of her accepting new members. Consisting of Gin alone, Kuyo was content to leave the club alone. But now with new members and all of them eager to print an actual paper…Kuyo's retaliation would be swift and brutal.

Gin didn't want that to happen. Not again. That was why he'd concentrated on beefing up the rumors that Moka was actually an S-class vampire, and that Ichigo had succeed in defeating a werewolf during the full moon. Gin may have not been fighting Ichigo during the night, but the power behind that "Getsuga Tensho" of his left Gin with no doubt that even if he had been, Ichigo would've won anyways.

If Kuyo thought he would have to go up against not one, but three S-class youkai, he'd have a lot more hesitation over raising a fuss, especially if Gin made sure the paper didn't print anything against the commission like it had last year.

Caught up in his musings, Gin didn't notice Ichigo stirring and finally awaking.

"Gin? You're actually still here?" Ichigo asked, blinking his eyes repeatedly before he realized that yes, that was actually the same Gin that usually blew off work like it was the plague. The look he had was strange too. Even when he'd been fighting Ichigo Gin had not looked so serious.

Gin did not react to Ichigo's awaking, instead starting at him as he contemplated future events and outcomes, trying to come to a decision on what to do.

"Uh, Gin? Are you okay?" Ichigo asked, waving a hand in font of his face, trying to get the werewolf's attention.

Finally, Gin focused his gaze on Ichigo, before asking a question that would decide the path he took.

"Ichigo…just how strong are you?"

"Huh? What sort of question is that to ask right out of the blue?" Ichigo asked, wondering what on earth Gin could be thinking to ask such a thing.

"Just answer. How much were you holing back when you fought me? Don't try to deny you weren't – you were far to calm to not have been."

Ichigo scratched his head, thinking about how to answer that, before shrugging.

"A lot, I guess. There's only so much I can do in this body."

Gin's eyes widened.

" 'This body'? Then that smell I've been getting from you…then that really is a human body?!"

Ichigo frowned, having not expected Gin to be able to smell that he was human, and wondering if that meant he could also smell that Tsukune was also human. If that was true, Ichigo needed to find out what Gin thought of humans quick, before Gin could rat them out to the teachers.

"Yes." Ichigo answered firmly, locking Gin with his own serious gaze, letting him know that he was now treading on thin ice.

"But…how…no human could be that powerful…" Gin trailed off, staying silent for a moment, before realization seemed to cross his features. Ichigo braced himself for the result.

" 'This body' you said…that means that you don't usually have a body, doesn't it? Or at least not this one." Ichigo frowned, not really knowing where Gin's train of thought was going, but nodded in confirmation anyways. Gin seemed like he was having trouble breathing.

"I see…I've heard of youkai and monstrels that insist on being called 'human' and masquerading as priests having the ability to place ghosts of youkai and Jiang Shi like youkai – youkai that don't really have physical bodies - into vessels or human bodies to control them…is…is that what happened to you?"

Ichigo frowned. When he though about it, Rukia separating his soul form his body and then him reentering and unable to leave unless he had his badge sounded kinda similar to that, so he nodded. What ever kept Gin off the idea that Ichigo was human was a good thing, though he wondered why Gin hadn't brought up Tsukune smelling like a human yet. Had Gin been unable to actually smell Ichigo's 'humanness' underneath his leaking rieatsu, smelled Tsukune instead and just thought Tsukune's aura was too weak to be sensed over Ichigo's? (**A/N: This is exactly what happened.)**

Gin seemed to collapse on himself.

"I see…so that's what happened…"

Closing his eyes, Gin reached a decision. If Ichigo had really been separated from his real body and sealed away in a human's, separating him form most of his power…then maybe…just maybe he scare away Kuyo. Gin looked back up to Ichigo.

"Ichigo…how much do you care about this club? About your friends?"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. Gin hadn't meant it to, but it sounded like a threat to Ichigo.

"More than you could comprehend." Right now, Gin wouldn't know Ichigo had broken into what basically amounted to Heaven and Purgatory to save just two of his friends.

"I see. Then I feel I should warn you. The News Club isn't well liked around certain circles. It's an old grudge that you and the others don't have any part in creating, but now that you've joined you're going to be pulled into it. If you guys stay around, those people **are** going to attack you all. And they're strong. Stronger than me. And probably stronger than you. So when they do appear…I want you to listen to what I tell you to do, okay?"

Ichigo took in Gin's serious face for several moments before he answered.

"I'll listen to what you have to say, but I can't guarantee I'll follow through with what you want. A lot of my power is sealed away," Ichigo added, deciding to further Gin's incorrect conclusion, "so I really don't know how much I'll measure up against the guys you're afraid of. So I'll tell you this: I do have a way to unseal my powers for a while. You see this badge I'm always carrying?" Ichigo asked, drawing Gin's attention to his Shinigami Daiko badge that was always tied to his belt. "If there's ever a time I can't get to it my self, slam this to chest and I'll be able to fight at full power. That's about all the reassurance I can give you right now. The rest will have to wait until after I meet these guys you're talking about."

Gin finally nodded after a long moment, apparently still winded from the recent revelations, before letting Ichigo leave the clubroom, Gin saying he'd pass on the finished paper to Nekonome for publishing.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Walking back towards his dorm room, Ichigo frowned. That presence he'd been sensing for the past few days was back. Until now it hadn't really been bothering him, but something was up if the unknown person was still watching him this late at night.

Stifling a growl, Ichigo turned sharply to where he could sense the cold presence and called out loud enough that he knew whoever it was would here.

"Okay, dammit, I been tolerating you so far, but I'm getting sick of this. Come out of wherever you're hiding and face me!"

A moment passed in which the presence succeeding in hiding itself completely, something Ichigo had half expected to happen, but when Ichigo heard no movements, he knew the person had not left the vicinity like they were hopping to fool him into thinking they had. Sighing, Ichigo called out again.

"I know you're still there. Come out on your own or I'll find you and drag you out."

His tone of voice left no doubt that he was speaking the truth; and a moment later, the girl finally convinced herself to move out from the bush she secluded herself in to reveal herself to the boy that had caught her interest since the first time Nekonome-sensei had spoken of him in awe when she visited her.

Ichigo had been expected another muscled headed idiot wanting to challenge him to a fight when he'd called out the person, so when a snow white pale girl with purple stepped out of the bush Ichigo had been eyeing vaguely, he was surprised, to say the least. Furrowing his brow, Ichigo stepped slightly closer to her before speaking.

"And who're you? And why are you following me around?"

Completely ignoring his question of her name, the purple haired girl stared at him for a moment, apparently confused about something, before saying: "I…don't understand you."

"Huh?"

"The way you act…the way you end your fights without killing your opponent…how you smile at others and are kind despite your facial expressions…I…don't understand." Let it never be said she wasn't raised to be perfectly blunt with her words.

Ichigo frowned further. "Is it strange to be nice to others?"

"When a youkai is as powerful as yourself…yes. I've seen others who are string, and they don't act anything like you. Why…do you act so different? What…are you trying to accomplish?"

Ichigo blinked. This girl was kinda weird. Weird, but harmless, so he answered.

"Accomplish? I don't really think about that sort of stuff when I fight. I'm just protecting what's precious to me."

The girls' eyes widened. Ichigo say her lips move silently, as if she was speaking to herself and he strained his ears to pick up what she was saying.

"And he's honest too…"

Ichigo blinked, unsure how to respond to this, but did not have the opportunity to do so. At that moment a strong gust of wind blew between them, dusted with snowflakes, and when Ichigo dropped his arms he'd raised to protect his face the purple-haired girl was gone.

Blinking, Ichigo thought only one thing.

"_What a weird girl."_

**A/N: Inner Moka finally makes an (brief) appearance! Don't worry though; she'll have a longer appearance during the fight with Kuyo. This will have to hold you over until then! And now both Gin and Moka have come to the conclusion that Ichigo is a super-powerful youkai that was cursed into becoming a human by a priest (is anyone getting Inuyasha or Naruto vibes?). If only they knew…**

**I struggled for a little bit over weather or not to have Gin warn Ichigo about Kuyo and the PSC, as they really haven't gotten close enough for Gin to reveal how all his friends from last year were killed by Kuyo. But I decided Ichigo inspires more confidence than Tsukune and Moka would in canon, since he used his own power instead of having Moka do all the fighting for him. I also think that in canon Gin already suspected Tsukune was human (werewolf sense of smell and all…) and that the PSC only confirmed it for him, thus he didn't really trust him. In this fic, Ichigo has successfully convinced Gin that none of them are actually human, so in the end I only had Gin do a partial reveal to Ichigo about the danger Kuyo faces for the club.**

**Up next, my 2nd favorite RV character (right after FangFang) Mizore, has her chapter!**


	9. Mizore, Part 1

**School Daze**

"Normal Speech"

"_Thoughts"_

"**Zangetsu"**

"**Hollow Ichigo"**

**Chapter 8: Mizore, Part 1**

Finally, after their mad dash to finish the Newspaper after the Nagare incident, the News Club began passing out their first July issue. Though Ichigo was still slightly distracted from the several conversations he had in the aftermath of Nagare's attack, he still managed to pass out his portion of the News Club's bi-weekly paper.

It was while Moka was suggesting (and getting agreements) for an after-school party to celebrate their success, that Ichigo noticed the arrival of a cold reiatsu he now knew belonged to the pale purple-haired girl whose talk with he had just been thinking about.

"Hmm…the Newspaper Club all get along pretty well, don't they?"

Ichigo turned, ignoring the confused and surprised looks on everyone else's faces, and sure enough, it was the purple-haired girl from before.

"So it's not just you, Ichigo? That sort of stuff…doesn't make sense."

Ichigo, ignoring Moka's concerned look, address the girl directly.

"That depends on the situation, doesn't it?" He asked, and received a tilt of the head in response.

Sighing, Ichigo held out the last available copy of the newspaper.

"Did you come here for this?" He asked.

The girl stared at him for a long moment before smiling and taking the paper.

"Yeah, I did." Turing around and walking away, Ichigo could only just hear her next sentence.

"I'll be seeing you around…Ichigo-kun."

"W-who was that, Ichigo-san?" Asked Tsukune, the first to regain his bearing after the strange meeting.

"Who knows?" Ichigo said dismissively. He was pretty sure that, like Rurichiyo and her servants, she'd happily tell him on her own time what she was after.

"A-ah, well then," Moka spoke up, regaining her cheerful nature, "We'll just have a really big party after school, okay?"

She received nods in general agreeance.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXX

"Good morning, everyone!" Nekonome-sensei was her usual cheerful self. "Today is the first day of the second semester, so to start off, we'll begin our homeroom session! Our first agenda is…selecting the class manager!"

Ichigo twitched. _They had that in this school too?_

Sighing, Ichigo decided not to pay attention; people like Ishida and Inoue got elected as class managers, so Moka was more than likely to be voted into the position. Ichigo was sure he'd be safe from this particular duty.

"Hey, sensei? I'd think…that Ichigo-kun would be a good class manager."

Pure shock registered through Ichigo – not only that someone had actually been stupid enough to elect him, but also that the purple-haired girl was actually in his class. He was pretty sure he'd never seen or felt her reiatsu in their class before, so he was rather caught off guard.

Of course, given his tendency to never remember names or faces there was a possibility he _had_ seen her before… It was then that Ichigo realized something else.

"Hey why is everyone clapping?! I don't want thi – are you guys even listening to me?!"

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"Congrats on becoming the class manager, Ichigo!"

Ichigo felt the vein throbbing on his forehead, and didn't even bother contemplating holding back the glare he shot at Moka, causing her to speak and Tsukune get even more nervous than he already was. Unlike Moka, Tsukune had noticed Ichigo's dislike of the situation immediately.

While Nekonome-sensei had, upon seeing how against Ichigo was on taking up the position, agreed to have another vote on it the next day, Ichigo was not overly hopeful that the results would change.

Moka pouted.

"How come you're not happy, Ichigo? Isn't it a good thing so many classmates think you'll do a good job on something so important?"

"**No**." Ichigo's answer was delivered quickly and flatly. "I'm **not** happy. I have enough shit on plate to be worrying about all the extra shit a class manager has to take care of. For fuck's sake, I don't even know if I'll **be** here long enough to even **start** working on all those events!"

Moka frowned, before smiling cheerfully.

"Hey, by the way, let's go and buy some snacks – for the party, you know?"

Tsukune resisted the urge to face palm. That was _not_ what Moka should have said. Before he could motion to Moka to warn her of her mistake, Ichigo swung back to face her, sending her a truly awful glare, before storming away. Tsukune winced at the hurt expression on Moka's face.

Moka, for her part, didn't really know what happened. Upon seeing how upset Ichigo had been getting, she had thought of asking Ichigo out on (sort-of) date to buy the snacks for the party, to take his mind off things. Instead he'd blown up and left.

"A-ano…Moka-san?"

Moka turned to him, and Tsukune decided to go ahead and share his thoughts.

"Umm…I-I know you were trying to cheer him up…but Ichigo-san is really stressed, you know? He has to keep on getting into fights to protect us…and then there was that thing with Kurumu just yesterday…"

Moka was looking considerably more subdued at this.

"A-and, um, I think something else has been bothering him, you know? Ichigo-san said he's repeating his freshmen year, remember? Even though his grades were good…he said he had to miss a lot of school, yeah?"

Moka looked intrigued by Tsukune's line of thought, so he continued.

"S-so, I think that means something must have been going with him, w-we don't really know why both had to repeat a year, and move form a human school to here, right?"

Moka nodded distantly, as if she too, was trying to figure out the reason behind such a thing. Tsukune looked down sadly.

"And Ichigo-san just said he doesn't know how long he'll be here, either, didn't he? The truth is…Moka-san and I…we don't really know a lot about Ichigo-san's personal life. Like with Kurumu-san…we don't know…what's really happening to him that's causing him so much stress.

Moka frowned, remembering waking in a strange place…being told by the Priests who raised her that her father had left her in their care after her mother had suddenly vanished…

Was Ichigo also haunted by something similar?

Clenching her fists, Moka looked up to Tsukune sternly.

"Yeah…we don't, do we? Tsukune…I think…that we should start supporting Ichigo more. So he doesn't have to do so much for us, ne?"

Tsukune smiled, and nodded in agreement. Just as Moka was about to round the corner to begin looking for Ichigo, however, Tsukune spotted him moving in the opposite direction, his had in the death grip of the same purple-haired girl that he'd been talking to that morning.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"Hey, congrats on becoming Class Manager Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ichigo turned his head from where he'd been sitting after leaving Moka. Ichigo felt a throb of annoyance shot through him, now that he was facing the reason he was stuck with that title in the first place.

"What do _you_ want?" He asked tiredly. He really didn't need any more surprises today, thank you very much.

"I read it." The girl said simply, confusing Ichigo. "The newspaper you passed out today. As excepted, it was really good."

Ichigo thought that this girl was beginning to remind him of Rukia, if not because of her cold reitasu, but because of tendency to completely ignore whatever he was saying.

Smiling, the girl removed the sucker that had been consistently stuck in her mouth until that point.

"My name is Mizore Shirayuki. Out of all the newspaper club members…you're my favorite"

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"I…didn't go to school most of the first semester." Mizore confessed, still holding a strong grip on Ichigo's arm. "Mostly because I can't get along with other people…"

Ichigo frowned, wondering why she was telling him this. From the first time the girl introduced herself to him to now, he just didn't get what was going through her head. For some reason though, the image or Rukia, leaving with her brother to Souls Society – towards her execution – remind stuck in his head. Trying to find the connection between the two, Ichigo could only conclude that this Shirayuki girl (and there was another similarity to Rukia, or rather, her zanpakuto) was sad and struggling over something.

Sighing and deciding to wait, Ichigo had simply allowed the girl to drag him where she wanted to take him. At the very least, Ichigo was sure that for now, she had no intention of harming him.

"But…Nekonome-sensei visited me every day…and told me about her students. She mentioned you, once or twice. And then…after clubs were formed…she started mentioning you a lot more. Told me all about the fights you kept getting into…protecting your friends…and even just yesterday you fought someone hurting your friend."

Ichigo frowned, unsure how to feel about that, and the far-away look on Mizore's face.

"And after you guys published your first paper…she brought me one…and every time after that too."

At that, Mizore giggled. Reaching into her pocket, she shoved something into Ichigo's hands.

"I've made a scrapbook…of all the newspapers you guys have published. I wrote all my thoughts about them on the sides…"

Opening the book to a random page, Ichigo could only stare. "Writing on the sides" didn't even begin to cover the mass of writing that covered every square inch of the pages. Sweatdropping, Ichigo cleared his throat and spoke through his shock.

"I-it's very nice…" Mizore smiled at him.

"You don't actually write any articles yourself…just editing and menial work…but I could always spot where you edited something. You're always very blunt…but kind." Mizore said, a strange look crossing her face.

"Your way of thinking…I really like it, you know? I'm a loner…but we…are actually in a similar situation, aren't we?"

Ichigo looked up from her scrapbook, his face serious.

"I know that you've been aware of me watching you for a while now…but you never pushed me away…not even after you called me out on it." Mizore's face was downcast at this point, but she continued to speak, "Those people in the News Club…they call you their friend…but they don't understand you at all, do they? Not what you're going through…just like me."

Ichigo spent a moment staring at Mizore, as she slowly raised her head to see Ichigo's reaction. Before Ichigo could ask what she meant by that however, Mizore had crossed the space between them and laid her ice-cold finger on his neck – in exactly the same spot Moka liked to feed from.

"That girl…Akashiya…she really doesn't know how to control herself, does she? When a vampire feeds…they don't just take blood from their prey…but their youkai as well…A vampire…can drain their prey's spirit from them if they wanted to…all those feeding you let her take…she just doesn't stop at your blood out of consideration, does she? She takes your power…your soul too." As Ichigo stood, frozen, Mizore sent a chilling smile at him. "That's why you've been so tired lately…like the old human myths and stories…you're being drained of your life little by little…day after day…and she doesn't even realize it, does she? And neither does any of your other 'friends'…"

Ichigo frowned at Mizore, now considerably more wary of her than before. Even though he knew Moka had been taking some of his reiatsu when she feed, it _really _shouldn't be affecting him like that – not with his levels of reiatsu; and especially in comparison to the small amount she was taking.

For a second, Ichigo thought he felt his hollow stir, as if he wanted to say something, before Zangetsu pushed him back down. Ichigo had no time to contemplate this, however, as Mizore began speaking again.

"It's not just the feeding that they don't notice…you're troubled, aren't you? Every day you stare at that phone of yours for hours…waiting for someone to call…the person on the other end…at your home…there's a lot going on isn't there?"

Ichigo was more than a little alarmed by now. Had Mizore _really_ been able to deduce that much by simply watching him?

"You're just like me…aren't you Ichigo-kun? All alone…"

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Moka stood frozen with her hands over her mouth. Tsukune was in a similar position of shock. Both of them had been able to overhear Mizore's conversation with Ichigo, and the talk had left them both dumbfounded.

Moka was trembling.

"…_like the old human myths and stories…you're being drained of your life little by little…"_

Was that true? Was she really hurting Ichigo so much when she drank his blood? After a moment Moka felt her other elf stir in contemplation before she spoke.

"_No…We have been taking a small amount of his power into ourselves when we feed…but is nothing that should be causing such a reaction. Something else must be going on for such a reaction to be happening…"_

Only minorly reassured, Moka glanced at Tsukune. She received a firm nod in confirmation.

They needed to talk to Kurumu and Yukari about this.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"Amazing! Ichigo-kun can do nine skips too!" Mizore pointed to the dissipating ripples in the lake excitedly.

"Yeah, I guess."

Ichigo was surprised by how carefree Mizore had become after coming to this place. Though he still remained a little wary of her, he really did think that she wasn't a bad person. After she had calmed down, she was actually rather relaxing to be around, and he was still feeling reminded of Rukia. Ichigo was frustrated at this, because he really felt like the connection he was missing between them was obvious.

Sighing, and running a hand through his hair, Ichigo stood.

"This has been nice and all, but I need to get going, Mizore."

Mizore froze, her back turned to Ichigo.

"You…are you going to where Moka Akashiya is, aren't you?" Mizore's voice was flat, but full of cold fury. Ichigo frowned.

"Yes. I did agree to go to the Club's after-school party; and if you've been watching me so much you should know I don't break my promises."

"Don't." That one word caused Ichigo to pause and turn back to her. "Don't go to her. Stay here…with me."

"Look, I don't mind hanging out with you again, Mizore, but I **do** need to go."

"If you go…I don't know what I'll do to her."

If Ichigo hadn't been frozen before, he certainly was now. Mizore was shaking in fear and anger. She had finally found someone who seemed to like and understand her, and she couldn't let him go. He had said he'd come back…but Mizore knew all too well that people lied. She could practically smell the Yuki-Onna village's flower patch, and hear the voice of the boy she thought she'd make her husband.

"…_Monster…"_

"No…it may already be too late. Because I don't like that girl…"

"Mizore…" Ichigo started, but was not given the chance to finish as ice suddenly encased his foot.

"You…will be mine…only mine…"

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Moka laid her head on the desk. Her and Tsukune's talk with Yukari and Kurumu had done very little to calm her nerves; and the fact that Ichigo had still not returned from being with that girl – Mizore Shirayuki, she'd called herself – worried her greatly.

Had she really been hurting Ichigo that much? She didn't know… She really just wanted to talk with Ichigo again…but he hadn't showed up yet…Maybe she _should_ go look for him…

Moka heard the door open behind her. Jumping up and turning around excitedly, she expected to be greeted with Ichigo's face, or maybe either Tsukune, who had gone with Kurumu and Yukari to get supplies for the party.

She got neither. For in front of her, leaning casually on the desks was Mizore Shirayuki herself.

"Sorry…but even if you wait…Ichigo-kun won't be showing up." Mizore said, detaching herself from the desks and moving towards Moka.

"Y-you're - !" Moka said, trying to force herself to speak through her shock – If Shirayuki was here, then where was Ichigo? – but Mizore bulldozed ahead, not giving her time.

"You…during lunch…next to the campus store…You were watching us, weren't you, Akashiya Moka?"

Moka stepped back in alarm, not noticing the droplets of water drip off of Mizore.

"Can…I ask you a question…Akashiya? What are you…towards Ichigo?"

Suddenly, and without warning, Mizore's hands shot out and wrapped themselves around Moka's neck.

"Kyaa! W-what are you doing?!"

"What an eyesore…You…are trying to claim Ichigo as your own…aren't you? For that…I can't forgive you…If you disappeared…then Ichigo would accept me…"

"_What's going on with her hands?!"_ Moka wondered. _"Their as cold as ice!"_

After a moment of fruitless struggling, Moka did the only thing she could, reaching up with the one hand that was not supporting her; she slapped Mizore as hard as she could. She was expecting to hear the sound of Mizore collapsing after such a brutal hit, thus freeing Moka's airways; instead Moka was surprised to hear the sound of shattering glass.

Focusing as much as she could, Moka spotted what had made the noise. It was…Mizore's face – only it was made entirely of shattered ice.

"Too bad…" Mizore said, despite the fact that it _shouldn't_ be possible. "This is an ice puppet…the real me is with Ichigo…Now then…die peacefully Moka Akashiya…so that I can deliver my feelings much easier!"

One of Mizore's fingers lengthened into a blade, one that she wasted no time in sending towards Moka at a speed she couldn't hope to avoid in her weakened state.

As luck would have it, at that moment Kurumu arrived, slamming the tray that contained her prized cookies squarely onto Mizore's puppets head, shattering it to pieces. Luckily, it seemed without the head the puppet could no longer be manipulated, and Moka and Kurumu watched as the rest of it shattered into pieces.

Behind them, Tsukune and Yukari arrived, out of breath and wanting to know what happened.

"Kurumu-chan!" Moka yelled urgently, grabbing onto the girl's shoulders. "I need your help! Ichigo is in trouble!"

Moka was relieved to see she had Kurumu's full attention.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Ichigo cursed, he had really dropped his guard too much around Mizore. Although Ichigo had snapped the ice encircling his leg quickly enough, it'd been harder than he expected it to be, and Mizore has wasted no time in ensuring he wouldn't be capable of moving around.

Currently he was half of his body was encased in ice, the result of Mizore creating an ice clone and using it to both grab him and then reform it into the cage of ice he was stuck in. Struggling for a moment, Ichigo realized he would have to enter his Fullbring if he wanted to escape.

Ichigo frowned. He didn't want to hurt Mizore – unlike most of the others who fought him; she was more like Kurumu, in that she didn't want to be alone. He had finally figured out why he had been reminded of Rukia during the time of her execution.

Both Rukia and Mizore had been depressed and desperate, and had not known how to ask (or even feel as if they were worthy of it) for help. Only Mizore had almost none of Rukia's confidence, and had not had the luck of finding someone like Ichigo, who had been able to see through the walls she had put up.

He really didn't have much of a choice though, and Ichigo resolved to knock her out with as little force as possible.

While he had been thinking, Mizore, now in her true form of a Yuki-Onna, had walked up to him and placed a finger caressingly on his face.

"If I freeze you, you won't go anywhere, right? If I do that, you'll be mine and only mine…We meet because it was our destiny…because we're capable of understanding each other's hearts…You're the only one…so please…"

"Ichigo!"

Both Ichigo and Mizore looked up in shock. Up in the sky, carried by a haggard looking Kurumu, was Moka, and flying besides her in a sheet of metal-like material that was being guided by Yukari was Tsukune; Moka having been the one who shouted.

"You people…" Mizore started angrily. "Don't get in my way!"

Mizore shot rows of ice up towards them, and while none of them hit them, it did cause both Yukari and Kurumu to fall. Tsukune, trying to regain his balance after landing, bumped into Moka, and in an attempt to steady the both of them, grabbed her shoulders.

Ichigo took the momentary distraction to activate his Fullbring, blasting out of the ice. In the same moment, however, Tsukune's balance failed him, and his hand slipped, catching onto Moka's rosary; and just like before, managing to pull it off.

The explosion of power intimidated not only Mizore, but Yukari, who had never been near such a large force of power before. Kurumu handled it only slightly better, having watched and felt the power behind Ichigo's attack that had felled Gin.

"Pathetic." Inner-Moka spoke, her red eyes gleaming angrily. "Getting yourself captured by this weak of a Yuki-onna. I'm disappointed in you, Ichigo."

Looking down at Mizore, Moka saw the yuki-onna's fury.

"You…! Why won't you just die?!" Mizore screamed, raising her claw in an attack towards Moka.

Moka snorted, raising a single leg and bringing it down with as much force as she could muster. Feeling it connect easily, she was satisfied when she heard the tell-tale crack of breaking ribs.

Mizore collapsed immediately, spitting out a few dribbles of blood before passing out.

"Hmph. That ought to teach you about trying to claim what isn't yours." Moka said, satisfied with her work, only to be roughly grabbed by Ichigo.

"What the hell did you do that for?! If she was so weak you didn't need to use so much force!" Ichigo yelled.

Moka made a dismissing noise. "Again you fail to raise a hand against someone who's trying to kill you, and instead protect them. They're not always going to turn out like Kurono, you know."

"And that'll be _my_ decision to make!" Ichigo said angrily, while Kurumu, in the background, wondered if Moka's inner-self was complimenting her or not.

Moka sniffed again.

"Whatever. This isn't what I wanted to talk to you about anyway." She said, surprising Ichigo. "I told you to take care of my other self, didn't I? She was so lonely until you guys showed up. So I don't know what's been bothering you but…all of us…help each other out, Ichigo."

Ichigo looked at Moka in shock, not expecting her to be the sort of person to say that. Moka took one last look at him before walking over to Tsukune, taking the rosary, and re-attaching it. Before she was completely sealed, Moka managed one last sentence.

"Omote…Tsukune…everyone wants to be able to help you as you've helped them, Ichigo. So…let us…repay you, however we can, okay?"

Moka collapsed, sound asleep into Tsukune's arms; and Ichigo could only stare, her last words reverberating through his mind.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Afterwards, Ichigo took Mizore to the Infirmary, and, after receiving news that she would be fine after bed rest, left to his dorm.

He would make sure to visit her tomorrow, and make sure that Mizore knew that she _wasn't _alone.

That night, however, Mizore, upon awakening quietly left her room, and vanished from the infirmary.

**A/N: ****About this story though, if you think Moka been unusually trusting of Tsukune, there's reasons for it. First, is that like Ichigo, in this fic Tsukune is one of her first friends, Ichigo just happens to be her love interest, so he's getting more of her thought's screen time. In RV canon, Moka and Tsukune formed an instant, strong bond between each other; and in this fic, just because she's no longer in love with him doesn't mean that bond has completely disappeared.**

**Obviously, it's not going to be as strong as canon, but it's still there, as shown when Tsukune was still able to remove her rosary. So mostly, this means Tsukune will be able to comfort Moka when she gets down like what happened in this chapter. (You should've seen a little of this in previous chapters.) Granted, Tsukune DOES still have a crush on Moka, but he's already starting to see he's not going to win on that front, and Ruby will be quickly taking care of the rest when she arrives.**

**Also, in the 8th** **volume of Season 2 Moka is shown to be living in a church, with a priest talking to Mikogami about how she's been adjusting. So I didn't make up the part about her living in a church.**


	10. Mizore, Part 2

**School Daze**

**Chapter 9: Mizore, part 2**

"Huh…looks like we'll be late again."

The student besides the speaker nodded, then began looking around as a noise drifted past him.

"What's that?"

The other boy paused, looking around, before speaking.

"Sounds like someone's crying." No sooner than he spoke, did the boy spot a another student, curled into a ball, but obviously female, crumpled on the ground, clearly the source of the crying.

"Do you want any help?" The boy continued, oblivious to the other student's mutter of "Hey, she's cute…"

"…y're noyin'…" Muttered the girl, standing up, a book falling to the ground, unnoticed.

The boys did not have time to respond to this, as, suddenly, large claws of ice protruded from the girl's arm, capturing them instantly.

Wailing, the girl turned her back to the ice-encased students.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"You want us to check on Mizore?" Ichigo asked glancing down at Nekonome-sensei, who nodded.

"Yes," Nekonome continued, her 'ears' twitching, "I know you said you were going to visit Shirayuki-san in the hospital…but she snuck out last night, so you won't find her there."

Behind Ichigo Moka gasped softly. She had been intending to join Ichigo so she could apologize for other self's actions – she too, had felt Ura-chan had gone a little too far in stopping Mizore.

Ichigo's scowl intensified at Nekonome's statement, though it was not directed towards her. Youkai academy really needed to star caring about the safety of its students more, if one as injured as Mizore could just waltz out of the infirmary.

"I think she may have just gone back to her dorm…so, Ichigo-kun, could you drag her back to the hospital?"

As Ichigo nodded, Nekonome-sensei wrote down Mizore's dorm number on a piece of paper, twitching when she remarked it was expected of him as the class manager.

"Do you have a minute, Nekonome-sensei?"

Ichigo glanced up at the gym teacher, Kotsubo, suddenly brushed past them without glancing in their direction.

"I want to talk to you about Shirayuki…"

As Moka gasped in surprised, Ichigo took to staring stonily at the teacher's back as he explained the reason for his interruption – he wanted Mizore expelled. Ichigo's eyes narrowed.

Kotsubo's story…didn't make sense. Being incased in ice would not result in the injuries Kotsubo was describing, and Mizore wasn't the type to ruthlessly beat someone up and then seal them in ice – she would simply incase them from the start or not all.

Ichigo was surprised when Ririko-sensei, the math teacher, spied and cornered them after they walked away from the pair. What she said, however…was even more of a surprise.

"So Kotsubo has a thing for expelling students, huh?" Ichigo muttered, ignoring the woman's praises on his school work (he'd already learned what she was going over, so it was easy enough for him). And he had a thing for high school girls too….

Moka looked at him, curious about the muter, but didn't speak.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

"EHHH?!" Was Kurumu's initial reaction to the news while Ichigo calmly walked towards the female dorm rooms.

Kurumu continued talking rather loudly, as Yukari, in her usual bluntness said Mizore has naturally attacked because Ichigo had rejected her. Ichigo was not paying attention, however.

Noticing his silence, Kurumu looked up from where she was arguing with Yukari, and asked what was wrong.

"There's something else going on here than Mizore just being upset." Was his only answer, as Ichigo returned to staring moodily in front of him.

To everyone's surprise, Tsukune nodded.

"Yeah…That girl…I think she's really lonely …but I don't think she'd do something like that."

A new, but familiar voice, interpreted them.

"Whether you believe it or not, I'm certain she did it."

"Kotsubo-sensei!"

Ichigo's scowl darkened considerably at his arrival. While the others seemed horrified, but believing of Kostubo's explanations – that her notebook had been found near the boys, that she had been suspended for trying to start a relationship with a teacher – that just so happened to be him. Ichigo however, was not buying any of Kotsubo's bullshit.

Leaning down to pickup Mizore's discarded notebook, Ichigo growled in the back of his throat in anger.

"I-Ichigo? What's wrong?" Moka asked, startled.

"I'm going to find Mizore before he does."

"A-ah but why?" Kurumu asked, also startled by the darkness of Ichigo's tone.

"Why?" Ichigo asked, turning incredulously to them, "What part of that speech didn't make sense to you? "I'll do whatever it takes to release her from this school" he said – he's going to try and attack her!"

Alarmed, Moka and the others did not protest when Ichigo suddenly flashed away, intent on making sure Kostubo did not make it to Mizore's dorm.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Ichigo rapped firmly on Mizore's door, and was unsurprised when she did not respond.

"Mizore…it's me, Ichigo." When he still did not hear any sounds of movement, despite the fact he could feel her reiatsu in the room, Ichigo sighed but continued. "I wanted to give you back your notebook, you dropped it."

Ichigo paused a moment before continuing.

"I wanted to say…that I'm sorry you got so hurt yesterday. I wasn't able to warn Moka before he attacked you…she wants to apologize to you too, if you want to hear her out."

Mizore remained stubbornly silent. Ichigo sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair.

"Mizore…I understand that you're still hurting from Kotsubo," Mizore gasp was so silent not even Ichigo picked up on it, "and that I hurt your feelings too, yesterday, but Kotsubo…he's really out to get you. He's trying to expel you because of some bullshit story of you attacking some soccer club members…"

Mizore's eyes widened.

Ice suddenly exploded from behind the door, but Ichigo did not even flinch, knowing Mizore wasn't intent on harming him. Mizore's wide eyes meet Ichigo's calm ones.

"Kotsubo wants to expel you, but I don't think he's going to stop there – and I think you know that too, Mizore."

Mizore twitched, but took Ichigo's outstretched hand.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Mizore spoke slowly, but Ichigo knew it was more of surprise that someone was hearing her out, than trying to buy time to figure out a convincing lie. Walking alongside the cliffs of Youkai academy, Mizore seemed to be automatically walking towards her favorite cliff in the area, where she went whenever she was feeling upset – which was quite often.

Along the way Mizore explained that while she had frozen the soccer players, she had immediately unfrozen them, as her powers tended to lash out on their own whenever her emotions where high. She also told him the truth about Kotsubo, she **had **approached him earlier in the year – but she had not been rejected. Instead Kotsubo had been readily accepting of the idea – too accepting. He had only wanted one thing, and Mizore had refused to give it him, so she had attacked, beating him soundly, and retreating to her rooms, she refused to attend school from that day on, fearful of what Kotsubo would try to do to her if they encountered each other again.

"I see. I thought it was something like that, Ririko-sensei had warned us about him." Mizore looked up, shocked that her words were being accepted so easily. Ichigo continued, " I''m going to do my best to get him off your back and clear your name…"

"And how do you expect to do that, Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Both of them spun around, shocked, as Kotsubo walked out from behind the tree he'd been hiding in.

"As usual, you come to this place when you're depressed, Shirayuki." Kotsubo smirked, delighting in the fearful step backwards Mizore took. "As for you, Kurosaki…I was planning on not bothering with you, but since the stupid bitch's spilled everything to you, I can't have you going and spreading it around, now can I?"

That was enough of a declaration of intent for Ichigo, who, not wasting time by speaking, immediate used bringer light to flash over where he was standing, and unhesitatingly throwing a right hook straight into Kotsubo's face.

It connected perfectly, propelling Kostubo away from Mizore and over the edge of the cliff. As Mizore gasped in shock, Ichigo marched confidently over the edge, fairly sure that the fall did not kill Kotsubo, as a youkai, he would likely to have managed to grab onto something, stopping the fall.

Ichigo's hunch was correct, glancing over the edge Ichigo could see Kotsubo clutching an outreach of rock, and snorting, turned to tell Mizore of this, only to be caught by surprise when a large tentacle suddenly shot up, grabbing diffidently onto Ichigo.

Grunting Ichigo glanced back down, and was surprised to see it was Kotsubo, who now had several large octopus-like tentacles protruding form his back.

As Kotsubo proudly announced himself to be a kracken, and his plan to make it seem like they had died tripping off the edge of the cliff, Ichigo was distracted by a shout.

"Ichigo-san!"

It was Tsukune, Kurumu and Yukari, having finally some to their senses and found Ichigo. Kotsubo tsked, muttering about how he'd have to take care of them too now, and Ichigo scowled. It was Kotsubo's only warning.

Activating his fullbring, Ichigo reached down, grabbing Kotsubo's tentacle arm, and hoisted him up.

"Wh-what are doing?!" Kotsubo screamed, suddenly finding himself being hoisted up and off the cliff.

"Deciding that he didn't exactly need or deserve an answer, Ichigo said nothing, but raised his fist. Bringing it down, Ichigo hit Kotsubo's chest square on, forcing Kotsubo's grip on Ichigo to disappear, freeing him, and sending Kotsubo pummeling onto the nearby tree that he'd been hiding behind, destroying it, and leaving him unconscious.

Everyone else could only blink as Ichigo released his fullbring.

XXXTHISISAPAGEBREAKXXX

Kotsubo had to be excused from work for two weeks, giving the newspaper club more than enough time to prove Mizore's innocence to the staff. Mizore's expulsion was reversed, and Kotsubo was fired.

Things changed further for Mizore as well.

After Ichigo had defeated Kotsubo, telling Mizore simply that she was now safe from him, Mizore had been unable to hold back her emotions, and had burst out in tears. Ichigo had stared in shock, and before he could think of what to do, Kurumu displayed exactly how much **she** had changed.

Quickly deducing that there had been some unwanted advances on part of the Kotsubo if Ichigo had just finished handing his ass to him, Kurmu ran up towards Mizore, quickly engulfing her into a hug. As Ichigo (and everyone else) started in shock, Kurumu began murmuring softly in her ear, succeeding in calming her slightly.

Ichigo, blinking, decided to leave the job of cheering Mizore up to Kurumu, and motion for the others to follow him as he hauled Kotsubo to the infirmary, deciding they should have a little privacy.

Since then, Mizore seemed to be recovering form her depression, little by little. She still stayed in her stalking tendencies, the physical separation a long used to comfort, but Ichigo made a point to try and include her in conversations.

Kururmu had pulled some strings, and had somehow managed to get Mizore as her dorm mate, and seemed to be making a concentrated effort to help the awkward girl adjust to having friends.

Their efforts seemed to be making progress though, as Ichigo noticed the physical distance Mizore tended to keep between her and anyone else was lessening, and she smiled more often.

Grinning, Ichigo thought that things might be looking up at Youkai Academy.

**AN: So, here is where the original breaks off and I begin. Considering that it was a recent adoption, I will take a little while to write. Please be patient with me.  
Arigato  
Ichifell**


	11. The Public Safety Committee

**A/N: First of all, I apologize for this sin I have committed. I have had made you guys wait for too long. But seriously, this is my longest chapter I have EVER done. Mix that with family troubles, and shit had went down. Sorry guys. Anyways, on to the actual notes.**

So, here is my first original chapter. Before we get this rolling, I have to say a few things. Firstly, thank you once more raindrops for letting me take this story over. I will try to keep true enough to your notes as too keep it good. Secondly, the writing style will undoubtedly change from the previous author, most noticeable will most likely be a size difference. Finally, here is to all of you reviews who thanked me for continuing this, it really means a lot.

Well, with that out of the way, lets get this on!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, or Rosario+Vampire

"Normal Speech"

_"_Thoughts_"_

"_Emphasis"_

**"Zangetsu"**

**"****_Hollow Ichigo_****"**

"Hey mom, how's it going? I know that I have not called in a while, but life here in school has been pretty crazy to deal with." Letting loose a light chuckle, Tsukune spoke again in a more spirited voice. "But hey, I have friends here! One of them, Ichigo, he is not what one would expect him to be like. He looks like that kind of guy someone would normally avoid, but he is really nice. Plus, he is the greatest martial arts expert I have ever seen. And there is also Moka, who is one of the sweetest people I have ever met."

"I am glad your happy Tsukune. I hope I can meet these people soon!" Kasumi said, pride clear in her voice. "To be honest, your cousin Kyouko has been worried about you. I believe that she is coming over sometime, so keep an eye out!" Laughing, Tsukune thought of ways to try to dissuade his cousin before giving up on that train of thought. She always was the stubborn one, so there was no stopping her decision. "Guess I have that to look forward to then. I should get going now though, I think I took up enough of your time. Goodbye mom." With a light sigh, he hung up the phone before walking right into Ichigo.

"Whoa there, pay attention where you're walking." admonished the berry head. "S-sorry! I was just lost in thought." stammered Tsukune, lightly chuckling as he rubbed the back of his head. "It has been a while since I talked to my parents, so I guess I just got caught up in the moment. Gomen." Skirting around Ichigo, Tsukune left him behind, heading back to his dorm.

_"Well, it HAS been a while since I talked to Karin and Yuzu...perhaps I should call."_ Sighing himself, Ichigo picked up the phone from the booth, dialing in his family's home phone number. After few moments passed, the tone of connection sprung to life , with the voice of a young girl saying "Hello? This the the Kurosaki residence."

"Hey Yuzu." was all he said, creating a moment of silence between them.**.  
.**

**"**ICHIGO!" the young girl yelled out, glee heavily apparent on her voice. "Oh, how are you? Have you made friends?" were among the questions she fired off, causing him to laugh at his sibling's antics. With a soft tone and a light smile, he paraphrased what life was like there, leaving out the little details. You know, like when he was attacked, had attacked, or about monsters in general. Once he got to his friends, then things got weird.

"I have made quite a few friends, all of whom are amazing. There is Tsukune, someone who is very kind and unassuming, almost naive at times, but is still a good friend. Gin is another decent person. Sure, he is perverted, but he is someone you can count on for help, someone who is very protective. Though he hides it well. Then there are the others..." Slowly, his smile got wider, recounting his many adventures that had already occurred. "As for the others, well, that is a lot to explain..."

There was a scuffling sound, and Karin's voice came over the phone. "Hey Ichigo, how have you been?" Notably laughing, Ichigo went through what he said earlier. More scuffling occurred, and Yuzu told him that they were sharing the phone and that he should continue where he was at.

"Ha ha, sure sure. I also have made other friends, the rest girls. First, there is Moka Akashiya. She is a very kind and sweet girl, amazingly so. She is frightfully intelligent, among the top twenty of the school, and has captured the hearts of many of the guys here without making an effort to do so. Then there is Kurumu Kurono, another girl who is one of the most popular among my classmates, and is not afraid to speak her mind." Going on and on, he told his sisters about the rest, happy in the moment where he could talk to his family. He also threw in a little tidbit at the end for the shock factor. "Oh yeah, and Kurumu, the one I told you about, had declared me to be her Destined One."

Silence was once again prevalent, weighing down the space between them. Then he heard a shout, one that gave him a headache even from so far away. "THAT'S MY BOY! You finall-" Wind was heard, a crash resounded, and a cry of pain was emitted from the phone before Yuzu spoke back up. "Sorry Ichigo, looks like Karin had to handle dad. Let's talk later, okay?"

Whispering a goodbye, Ichigo chuckled, before someone tugged on his arm. Tensing up, he turned around, finding himself face to chest of Kurumu. "There you are, we have been looking for ya'. Come on, lets go pass out our newspaper!" She yelled out, careless cheer deep in her voice as she dragged him off.

**XXSceneShiftXX**

"Come get your newspaper!" Was the general shout from the girls, the cheer obvious in their faces and voices. Everyone was laughing at the great sales this week, having had passed out almost all of their stock, when a group of people in black trenches walked up. "Why, look at this. The Newspaper Club came back after last year. How cute." The ringleader, or who seemed like the ringleader, said.

"But first, where were my manners. I am Kuyou, the leader of the Public Safety Committee. So now, I have to ask, who gave you permission to publish your articles? I do not remember you coming to us so that we may make sure your paper is permissible."

"Nekonome-sensei was more then enough to judge if our article was fine, _Kuyou_, so I suggest you back off, now." Ichigo rapped out, glaring at the yōkai before him. "Plus, there is no rule that I am aware of that gives you the right to judge if our articles are passable."

This pissed Koyou off to no end, who attempted to relieve some anger by kicking the table before him. To his surprise however, he saw that the offender before him, that strawberry, held his ankle in his hand as if nothing happened. To free himself, Kuyou unleashed his killing intent in Ichigo's direction, only to be disturbed that he received no reaction as well.

Ichigo let his ankle go, causing the held man to stumble back. "Well, we better not see you pass out any more papers until you pay up to us." Everyone else in Ichigo's group was sighing, glad that there was not as much violence as they expected to come. Even Ichigo let out a small sigh as he saw Kuyou leave, hearing him mutter some cliche line about how 'I'll make you pay for this' line. "Wow, what a pompous bastard. Kinda reminds me of that ass Byakuya, except with less class. Well, I have to go talk to Gin. I am positive that he knows more then he is letting on."

Everyone nodded, knowing that Ichigo had a plan. "Knowing him, he is probably peeping on some girls as they change." Kurumu said with a laugh. Knowing nods accompanied this sentiment, disgusted looks etched in their faces. With a small wave, Ichigo walked off in his quest to find the were-pervert.

Moka donned a nervous look once he had left and spoke up once he was out of ear shot. "Guys, we should follow him just in case. I don't think it is safe to leave anyone alone right now." Again, everyone nodded, heading off in the direction they saw him head towards the last the saw him.

**XXSceneShiftXX**

Gin sneezed suddenly, almost covering his camera with his snot. "Huh, someone must be talking about me. Ah well, lets not dwell on it." Shrugging it off, he looked back into his camera, zooming in on the girl's changing room right before hearing the slam of the school roof door opening up. Looking over his shoulder, he blasted a small grin towards his new audience. "What's up, Ichigo?"

With not one shit given about pleasantries, the strawberry-headed boy cut straight to the chase, loosing a glare to prove he meant business. "Gin, do you know a Kuyou by any chance? He decided to send our club a visit today out by our table and threaten us like he owns the joint."

The silence that spread was stifling to a point. The only sign that Gin had heard him was the slow paling of his skin as his eyes bulged quite comically. In a deathly silent tone, Gin finally asked what was on his man. "And pray tell, what is it that you did in response?" "Oh, not much. I just embarrassed him in front of his trench coat-wearing lackeys of his is all." The silence returned again before the poor man in front of Ichigo exploded. "Oh man, oh god, this is really, really bad. You idiot, do you know what the hell you have done?! You just pissed off the wrong person. I do not care how strong you are, that was suicide you committed right there!"

Waving off his rants, Ichigo looked quite nonchalant about the fuss. "Not the first time this happened. Anyways, why are you making such a big deal about this Public Safety Counsel or whatever?" "Public Safety Committee." Was the wolf's quick correction. Rolling his eyes, Ichigo replied with an annoyed tone. "Again, whatever. The point is, what is the big deal about these idiots?"

"Might as well sit down. I have a lot of explaining to do, and it will take a while." Gin said.

"You know how there are like student police in some human world schools? Well, that is what they are supposed to be and once were. Somewhere along the line, they changed though. While once being the school's pride by actually keeping the peace, they now are more like a yakuza group, abusing their power and extorting the many different groups of this school. They control the students with an iron fist through fear, striking down any who apposes them without a single regret. Even the teachers, aside from Mikogami, fears them. Kuyou is the leader of that group, and he has a personal vendetta against our group. Hell, he is the reason why the school newspaper was shut down last year."

"These are the people you warned be about earlier, aren't they?" Gin only nodded solemnly, before the serious mood was ruined as the door flew open again, five different bodies yelling out as they tumbled onto the floor. Chuckling lightly, Moka was the first to recover. "Sorry we were eavesdropping on you, we were just worried about you." "And we heard everything you talked about as well, so no need to worry." Kurumu said, just having to get her five cents in as well

"Well, if you all know already, then I do not have to waste my breath on that. With that aside, just do as Kuyou says from now on. Quit doing articles he does not approve of, do not anger him further, and for the love of god, burn what he have not sold."

"Screw that! We have worked way too hard on this, hell, Ichigo and I have worked way to hard on this to just give up on it! There is no way I am giving up our hard work just because you are afraid!" Kurumu cried out indignantly. Ichigo spoke up in her defense as well. "I have to agree with her on this one Gin. There is no way we should give up because some guy told us to. Plus, I see no way in hell that Kuyou would let up on us just because we rolled over, showing our stomachs in a desperate plea for peace like you want us to." With that, he took an overjoyed succubus in one arm and the remaining newspapers on the other, walking out to sell the rest.

"Thank you Ichigo for sticking up for me like that. You have no idea how much that means to me." Kurumu said, albeit a bit subdued. "Hey, it isn't that big of a deal. Just had to do what's right." He replied, scratching the back of his head with one hand. Kurumu ran ahead a little bit before turning around in front of Ichigo. Looking up in his eyes with a tender glance, she rested her hands lightly on his chest. "No, really, you have no idea how much this means to me."

"Aw, look at this. Such a sweet scene between you to. In fact, it's so sweet, I may just puke!" The purple haired woman that accompanied Kuyou that morning had appeared with a sneer, before throwing some webbing over Kurumu, binding her before speaking again. "You know, this reminds me of last year's Newspaper Club. They just would not stop! Saying such slanderous things about us, well, lets just say that they got what was coming to them." Laughing, she used another string of webbing to latch onto the newspapers, yanking them out of Ichigo's hands towards the incinerator that just so happened to be nearby. Wasting no time, Ichigo grabbed the box back before the flames could lay claim to it. Enraged at her failure, she released her monster form, eight long, spidery legs extending from her back as her body changed into that of a spider. "Now die, die knowing that your killer was Keito the Jorougumo of the Public Safety Committee!" She laughed as she lunged out at Kurumu, only miss as her target tore apart the webbing holding her and flying out of the way.

Blinded by rage, Keito shot off another web, latching onto Kurumu's foot, slamming her into the ground as Ichigo watched. **_"You going to let her treat your woman like this? You truly are pathetic Ichigo. Perhaps you should let me handle this, neh? I can show her our wrath. For the two of us." _**"You're right for once, though I do not approve of this 'my woman' business." "Wow, you really are pathetic Keito. I mean, is that all you can do?" Ichigo said, goading her into an attack. "It is all I need for the likes of you!" She yelled, letting out one more thread, this time at Ichigo who let it latch to his arm. "Well, that was a very unfortunate of ya. **_I mean, now you are having to deal with me!" _**Keito then noticed that his face was partially covered by a mask. Tugging back in fear, she tried to pull away from the man with two voices that was right in front of her. **_"Now how shall we do this? Should I just pull you in, throw you around? Or perhaps something else...Ah, I know now!"_**

Surprising both of the girls, the boy started to sing as he wound the web around his arm. **_"Wind, wind the little thread~ Wind, wind the little thread~ Wind the little spider in till it's DEAD!" _**With a wild cackle, the madman sang that demented child's song, pulling in Keito closer and closer to him. **_"Wind, wind the little thread~ Wind, wind the little thread~ Wind the little spider in till it's DEAD!" _**He sang again, having pulled the woman right to him. Then, using the hand he wound her to him with, he lifted her off the ground before slamming his fist into her face, denting the ground with her body, passed out cold. "Wow, that was evil. You can go now. Seriously, leave. **_Aight, goodbye King. Thanks for letting me out." _**With a final demented smile, the mask faded from his face, returning Ichigo back in control.

With a somber apologetic look, he tilted his head back in Kurumu's direct. Seeing that she was down and knocked out, he let out a sigh in relief, thankful that she had not seen what just occurred. He then walked over to her prone body, lifting her onto his back with a small blush as her breasts pushed into his back. "Hope to god that no one finds us like this. Better bring her to the infirmary just in case though." With a final harrumph, he carried her in the direction his memory dictated as the correct area.

**XXSceneShiftXX**

Kuyou was fuming in his office, his anger clearly reaching a peak. Not only did that damnable club resist him that morning, they did so again afterwords and demolished one of his top ranking officers. With a shout of rage, Kuyou slammed his hands on top of his desk, sliding every item off of it in one sweep. Cocking his arm back, he loosed a punch that would have destroyed his desk before stopping to a very familiar voice spoke up. "My my, someone sure is mad. Let me take a guess, it is those Newspaper kids, no?" A silhouette stood in the shadows of his office, the voice belonging to it clearly feminine. "And why does this concern you, _Ishigami_?"

With a laugh, the shadow walked into the light, taking the form of the old Art teacher. "Defensive one, aren't you, Kuyou? I just came because I came across something very...interesting that might interest you." "And what, pray tell, would this information be?" He said, begrudgingly interested in what she might say. "It seems as if that boy Tsukune has a very...human...smell to him. Pair that with the fact no one has seen Tsukune fight when in danger nor seen him take to his monster form once while anyone's life was endangered. That girl Moka always happened to help him, Ichigo as well. Perhaps there is more then what meets the eye? And count that with the fact that Ichigo assaulted one of your officers, and, well, you could have them both where you want them to be: right under your thumb."

As she spoke, the kid before her slowly grew into a smile, it slowly taking up more of his face as she stated the facts. "This could be just what we needed. For this information, I feel that you can get anonymity as the benefactor AND perhaps partake in the punishment when I deal with them." Sticking his hand out, she took it and shook, both bearing grins that could put Gin Ichimaru to shame as a random bolt of lightning flashed outside.

**XXSceneShiftXX**

"What...what the fuck!? I mean, come on! I just warned you guys not to further aggravate that bastard and what do you do? You kick the ass of one of his top officers! Are you bloody retarded?!" Gin shouted, scolding the two people in front of him. Kurumu was fidgeting slightly in place as Ichigo stood, not giving one fuck about the lecture. "I can understand if you just ran away, but to destroy her like you did? You just brought hell upon your head!"

"And what do you know, the wolf was right for once." Everyone bristled at the voice, well, everyone aside from Tsukune. He just gave a frightened _meep._ Kuyou gave a feral grin, before announcing his intentions. "Ichigo and Tsukune, I am here to put you under arrest. Ichigo, your crime consists of the assault of a fellow officer and countless students. Tsukune," Kuyou's grin turned to a sneer, "You are charged with suspicions of being a Human!"

The silence was deafening, the only sound to be heard was the shaking of Tsukune, in shock due to his secret to be found out by _him _of all people. Ichigo was the first to respond, adopting a deathly quite tone. "And what if I were to say no?" "Then your friend Moka get some of our...benefits...of being our guest." At this, a small shikigami crawled out of his sleeve, its eye shining as a projection was emitted, showing a bound up Moka with some guards by her side. "On my word, they will begin pouring water upon her. If you do not resist, we shall let her go."

"Che, that bastard. I would take him, and I really want to, but there would be far more damage if I fought him here. I'll let him take me to his headquarters so that I can go all out on him. Fine, I'll let you take me with you." The girls that were with him began to protest but he silenced them with a glace, shaking his head as to indicate that this was not the time. "Very well then. Deshi! Tie these prisoners up. I want them to be unable to fight back during our trip there." "Hai, Kuyou." She shouted before doing what she was instructed.

After they were tied up, Kuyou led them away, leaving behind an exasperated group of girls. "Who knew that Tsukune was a human. Serves him right though. Would have been a lot worse for us if they that had became public knowledge." Gin said callously, shrugging off what had just happened. Turning around, Kurumu slapped the bastard across the face, fury lit in her face.

"How dare you. How dare you say that! He is a good friend of ours, and they took him away just because of what he was! I can not just leave it like this, not at all. I don't care about you guys, but I am going to help them escape!" Glaring around, she saw the nodding heads of Mizore and Yukari. Yukari then piped up her opinion. "Tsukune is way to kind to hate like most humans. There is no way he would ever do us wrong." "Yeah, and Ichigo is nothing like the humans I have heard that were so bad. He is kinda, caring, and very protective of his friends."Mizore spoke up, her voice soft but strong. "So we are with you Kurumu. Lets go get them back."

The group of girls ran out of the room, leaving behind a sighing Gin. "Those guys sure are something else to get those girls to stand up for them. Too bad I feel more responsible for them then is good for me." With one final sigh, he walked out of the room, following them.

**XXSceneShiftXX**

Kuyou could not help but smile with true glee. Here, in his domain, right in his torture room that was stocked full of every conceivable device know to sentient knowledge, was his greatest prize yet. The biggest thorn in his side was right in from of him, tied to a chair. Barking out peals of laughter, he threw his hands out before stopping abruptly, snapping his attention to the students in front of him. "Wow, for a guy with such big talk, you sure are a disappointment." With a snarl, he punched Ichigo across the face.

"Stop it!" Tsukune shouted. "Why are you abusing your powers like this. Just let Ichigo go. Kill me if you want, but leave him be!" "Silence you human scum! Do not spread your false friendship out to other monsters! I have every right to do as I wish solely because I am justice! What I say is right, and no one has say otherwise." He strode over to Tsukune, not hearing the whispering behind him, as he pulled his hand back to slap him. As his hand flew down, it was grabbed from behind by a bone-coated arm. Looking behind him, Kuyou saw the now armored Ichigo as he was getting restrained. Clucking in disappointment, Kuyou spoke with a haughty tone. "No no Ichigo, do you forget why you are here?"

With a flick of his hand, Moka appeared in the room, bound similarly to a chair like the guys were. At her sudden appearance, Ichigo dropped his guard, earning a solid punch from Kuyou that knocked him away some.

"Hey Kuyou, when do I get a turn?" The voice everyone recognized sounded off, causing Ichigo to narrow his eyes even further. Out on a balcony above them dropped a person they never wished to see again. Though a bit bandaged, they could tell it was Ishigami, the one that almost trapped Moka in stone. "Shut up bitch! These are my prey now, so leave us. This I command from you, woman. Begone!" Kuyou was annoyed, annoyed that this woman had the nerve to interrupt him and his fun. "We had a deal, remember? Time to pay up!" She shouted, fury evident on her face. Kuyou rounded to her, seemingly forgetting who else was there, zoned in only on that bothered him at that moment.

Taking this time, Ichigo used his Bringer Light to appear behind Tsukune, cutting the ropes that bound him. "Tsukune!" Moka whispered frantically, "Come here and pull my rosary off!" Both of them had been unbound at this time and Tsukune was sneaking over to her when Kuyou decided that was the time to return his attention. "You little whelp!" He shouted, bringing his arm up again to bash Tsukune. As his fist neared his target, The door slammed open, a blue blur flying into the path of said fist. Taking the hit for Tsukune, she went down, coughing as she dropped.

Using that time to attack, Ichigo struck out with his blade, only to be shut down by the flames that suddenly appeared. As quickly as they came, they had left, leaving his fullbring in ruins. During the resulting stunned silence, Kuyou walked up and stabbed his hand through Ichigo's stomach, his grip on his badge loosened, it falling away from his hands. Using the shock distraction, Ishigami jumped back into the shadows, content with just watching them get torn apart.

As Kuyou kept a sneer on his face, he heard a howling noise, a loud one in fact, right before a werewolf slammed right into him, dislodging his hand from inside Ichigo. Immediately afterwords, the youku regained his balance, growling at the beast before him. Not giving the man a chance to retaliate, Gin launched himself at Kuyou, slashing him as he ran and jumped around, staying fast enough to keep out of sight.

Enraged, Kuyou let loose his form, unleashing a fiery vortex around him, shielding his body out of sight as Gin jumped away, landing beside his club members. "You...I thought you were the smart one of the group Gin. I was completely content with leaving you be after I dealt with them, but now, now you all die together!" As he spoke, the vortex dissipated, revealing the monstrous body that he had. He appeared to be a flaming fox, four fiery tails circling around behind him. Then, the tails began to spin, speeding up faster and faster, creating a wheel of flame before shouting out _"Rolling Hazey Flame!"_, unleashing a torrent of fire out at the now collected club.

Time slowed down for Ichigo. He could see the wall of ice that Mizore had created but know deep down that it would not be enough. With no forethought, Ichigo threw himself out in front of the flame, using his body as a shield to protect his friends. "Ichigo, you dumbass! You could have used that badge to unseal yourself!" Taking note of his distress, Kuyou picked up the badge before crushing it in his grip.

**XXSceneShiftXX**

An alarm sounded off in the Seireitei's 12th squad. People ran around and about, trying to figure out what caused this chaos. On fortunate member noticed quickly before sending a courier to Yamamoto, alerting him of the badge's status.

"God help us if something happened to that ryoka. Who knows how this will end if we don't have him to help us." The member thought, sweating at the alert showing the broken badge.

**XXSceneShiftXX**

"I would not have made it in time to save you guys if I did. For now though, I leave it to you. I feel that I need to sleep a little." Slumping forward, his hand reached out before gravity took control. As he passed out, his heavy hand snagged on Moka's rosary, pulling it off with a solid snap. Light went off as she changed, switching from the Moka they knew well to the one that was bloodthirsty, violent, and strong. With a scream of rage, Moka lunged out, smashing Kuyou out of the way before sinking her fangs into Ichigo's neck.

"I heard that you were a vampire, but to consume an ally when he is already dead is just cruel. You amuse me Moka." Kuyou said as he smirked. As he spoke, Ura pulled Ichigo's body over to the rest of the group. In a hurried whisper, she spoke to them, explaining her action. "I injected my blood into him. By doing this, he is almost assuredly going to heal, but beyond that, I have no clue. As I am right now though, I can only hold him off till he wakes up. Keep him safe, okay?" And without waiting for a response, she jumped back to Kuyou, kicking him in the face and knocking him back.

Blow for blow, they struck out, blocking and parrying each other in an attempt to get the upper hand. "I hope you wake up soon Ichigo, because I will not be able to hold him off for long. Hurry up!" She thought with a pleading tone.

**Inside Ichigo's Mind**

Eyes shut, Ichigo could feel something raining down on his face. If felt thicker then normal rain, but he could not quite place a finger on what it was. Before he had more time to ponder it, Shiro kicked him into a standing position. **_"Hey pussy, get up! Look what is happening to your world now!"_** Aggravated, Ichigo opened his eyes to behold the sight of his world raining blood. "The hell is going on? What is this...blood? Why the fuck is blood raining down?"

"**_It is because that Moka girl injected her blood into you in an attempt to save your pathetic ass." _**Shiro said. **_"As of right now, you are turning into a vampire. Normally, not much would happen to your soul, but you are still squishy, alive, human. The fact that she had been sucking out your reiatsu and that I was doing the same to her only assists that. This is also the reason that you have been so tired lately. I have been making your human body strong and prepared, just so that if this should be happening, you are more likely to change to a vampire then a ghoul. Be happy that I am helping you, partner, otherwise you would not have survived. Now get the fuck out of here. Wake up, kick some ass, and help those friends of yours. I expect them to be mine when I take over, after all!" _**With this, Shiro fired off one last demonic grin before kicking Ichigo in the head, casting him out of his inner realm.

**Back in the Real World**

Ura stood panting. She was all battered up while her opponent was standing there almost unscathed. He was in his battle form, mostly humanoid with four flaming blue tails wagging behind him. "Shit, I am almost done for. Wake up already Ichigo, wake up!" She thought desperately. "_Wake up Ichigo!_" She shouted aloud, unknowing that he just regained consciousness.

Then she heard laughter behind her. As she looked over her shoulder, she saw four flaming tails flying right at her. As they almost connected, she shut her eyes, preparing for the searing pain. When none came, she opened them to see a terrible sight before her. There stood Ichigo, but she could only tell by his outrageous orange hair. However, there was nothing else similar to his usual self besides his height.

His shirt was gone, showing the red bulges that were his abs. Where definite muscle was got replaced by a deep red color, surrounded by black skin, with the occasional red crack here and there. His eyes were completely replaced with a piercing red color as well, almost scarlet in shade. The biggest change was the wings on his back, completely operational based on how they could and would move from time to time. When he opened his mouth in a feral grin, a single fang shown before he disappeared, showing up behind Kuyou with his hand through his right lung.

Before the damage had spread, Mikogami showed up, clad in his usual white attire. Using quick movements, he put the Rosario of Judgment on Ichigo's head, sealing the demonic power and shattering the black and red parts of his skin, the wings disappearing and his eyes reverting back to normal. Wasting no time, he wound a chain on Ichigo's arm, closing the clasp saying only one thing: "Ritual Complete."

Then, everything went black for the teens that were in the area, worn out from the stress and fight. With his eyes glowing a bit brighter, Mikogami smiled a bit wider then usual. "You interest me Kurosaki, you truly do."

**XXSceneShiftXX**

Gyokura was roused from her sleep when she heard a strange noise. Activating her Enemy Zero ability, she scanned the Fairy Tale base, noting that Alucard was moving some before slowly stopping. She could not help but to feel curious as to what cause it before drifting back to her greatly needed slumber.

* * *

**A/N: And there is the next chapter! Sorry it took forever. Just a lack of drive I guess. -Shrugs- Oh well. At least it is out now, eh?**

**Anyways, review, favorite, and the like!**


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